“Judge Persky’s bias is a threat to the rule of law and we will continue until he is no longer a judge”, Michelle Dauber, who is leading the charge to recall the judge, said at a protest. “The fact that Brock was an athlete at a private university should not be seen as an entitlement to leniency, but as an opportunity to send a message that sexual assault is against the law regardless of social class”. Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said upon Turner’s release that he should still be stuck behind bars.
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Smith said she believed Turner’s sentence was too light.
Campos was a coauthor on California bill AB 2888, which was inspired by Turner’s case, that aims to ensure that anyone in California convicted of sex assault can’t be sentenced to probation. Brown hasn’t said whether he will sign it.
They show the dumpster where police say Turner assaulted the unconscious 22-year-old woman. Two Stanford graduate students who were bicycling by called police and chased down Turner.
Others in attendance on Friday included Ben Taylor, a Stanford student who felt compelled to come because he has three sisters, and Stella Xu, a local high school student who skipped school just to attend the rally.
Authorities say Turner sexually assaulted the girl while she was passed out near a rubbish bin. “What would have happened to me?” she said. “That’s why I’m here”.
Turner’s lenient sentence created a firestorm of criticism for Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who cited Turner’s lack of a criminal history and young age.
Instead, in mid-August, Green County Judge Calvin Holden gave Presley a sentence of just 30 days in prison.
She urged Persky to disregard the probation officer’s recommendation of straight probation, based on findings that Turner was considered low risk to reoffend and had already endured great losses. Last month, Persky voluntarily took himself off criminal trials, but still presides of civil cases.
After Persky’s decision to impose the six-month sentence made headlines, an online petition calling for his removal from the bench drew more than 1.3 million signatures.
The mayor today called for Persky to “accept responsibility” and resign. “Judge Persky does not have such a record”.
The case ignited public outrage, which swelled further with the news that Turner was set to be released three months early for good behavior.
“Being on probation or parole is not like being free in society”, said Jason Rydberg, a University of Massachusetts Lowell associate professor whose research focuses on prisoner re-entry, sex offenders and community supervision. Postcards then will be mailed to alert nearby homeowners that a sex offender lives in the area, Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer told ABC News. He’ll have to report to a probation officer for three years, and must avoid alcohol and drugs during that time.
Turner is now listed on the National Sex Offender Registry. Turner has to check in with the sheriff every three months and is subject to random searches of his home.
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Deputies will also check on him periodically and without warning, to make sure he hasn’t moved out.
