A father’s defence of a former Stanford University student convicted of sexual assault has sparked outrage for referring to the crime as “20 minutes of action” that should not be punished with a prison sentence.
Brock Turner, 20, was sentenced last week to six months in county jail and three years' probation after he was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on campus in January 2015.
The crime was interrupted by two graduate students who saw Turner assaulting a partially clothed woman behind a trash bin. Court heard that Turner tried to flee, but the students tackled and pinned him down until police arrived and arrested him.
The case made international headlines after the victim’s harrowing impact statement was published in full.
Now, a letter that Turner’s father, Dan Turner, wrote to the judge who presided over the trial, is making the rounds online.
In his defence of his son, Dan Turner wrote that the former Stanford swimmer should not have to pay a “steep price” for “20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.”
“What I know as his father is that incarceration is not the appropriate punishment for Brock,” the father wrote, adding that his son has never been violent, including on the night when the sexual assault took place.
#brockturner father: son not "violent" only got "20 mins of action" shouldn't have to go to prison. @thehuntinground pic.twitter.com/IFECJs687b
— Michele Dauber (@mldauber) June 5, 2016
In his letter, Dan Turner also wrote that his son will never be the same as a result of his conviction and no longer enjoys eating steaks or raiding the family’s chips and pretzel stash.
The letter appears to have been written before the judge handed down Brock Turner’s sentence, decried as incredibly lenient by the prosecutors and advocates for sexual assault victims.
The online reaction to Dan Turner’s letter was swift and visceral.
Maybe if Brock Turner's father had taught him better, his "20 min of action" & the lifetime of hell for his victim wouldn't have happened.
— KracklesForever (@kristyjmc) June 6, 2016
Brock Turner's dad's statement is embarrassingly tone deaf. Sorry but he's NOT the victim and no one cares he can't eat steak now.
— Kaitlyn Buchler (@kaitbuchler) June 6, 2016
Zero empathy, from the dad, expressed for the girl. What world do we live in? #brockturner
— Nathan Alex Young (@natedagreat111) June 6, 2016
Disgusted by father & son I could vomit! Ribeye steak!? Are u kidding me right now!? #brockturner #20minutesofaction https://t.co/Qc5vb0ichW
— Maria Nelson (@marianels0n) June 6, 2016
In a statement issued Monday, Stanford University said it “did everything within its power to ensure that justice was served in this case.”
The university said it facilitated an “immediate police investigation” before banning Turner from setting foot on campus.
“This is the harshest sanction that a university can impose on a student,” the university said.
“There has been a significant amount of misinformation circulating about Stanford’s role,” the statement said. “In this case, Stanford University, its students, its police and its staff members did everything they could.”
Stanford said it also “confidentially” reached out to the victim to “offer her support and tell her the steps we were taking.”