A father's letter pleading for convicted Standford rapist Brock Turner to be given a light sentence for his “20 minutes of action” has been soundly skewered online by Twitter user who says she "fixed" his letter.
A jury last week found the champion swimmer and aspiring Olympian guilty of three counts of sexual assault after he was found on top of an unconscious woman behind a dumpster on campus.
Of the maximum 14 years sentence, he was given just six months in a county jail with probation – a controversial decision which may result in presiding Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky being removed from the bench.
Turner’s father had penned a letter pleading with Judge Persky to hand down a light sentence because his son had lost his appetite and intends on educating others about "binge drinking and its unfortunate consequences."
He wrote of his son's condition after being charged with rape, "I was always excited to buy him a big ribeye steak to grill or get his favorite snack for him...I had to make sure to hide my favorite pretzels or chips because I knew they wouldn't be around long after Brock walked in from a long swim practice. Now he barely consumes any food and eats only to exist."
Today, one ingenious Twitter user has taken it upon themselves to “fix” the statements in the father's letter that seek to excuse the son's actions.
Under the caption, “Here, I fixed his letter (changes in bold)”, Alexandra Ozeri shared an edited version of the letter that has already been retweeted 2,500 times.
The original letter reads:
It comes as petitions calling for Judge Persky to be removed from the bench gains traction. Close to 100,000 people have signed a petition that also encourages signatories to file complaints with California's Commission on Judicial Performance.
Stanford law professor Michele Landis Dauber intends on launching a formal campaign this week, arguing that extraordinary measures were taken to help Turner avoid jail-time in a decision that sends a concerning message to female students of the prestigious college.
“He has made women at Stanford and across California less safe,” Dauber told the , “The judge bent over backwards in order to make an exception.”
The case has gained international attention particularly after the victim’s emotional 7,000 word statement which was read to Turner in the courtroom, went viral online.
A CNN news reader dedicated 20 minutes of her broadcast to reading the letter, almost in its entirety on Monday.
