Brock Turner, former Stanford swimmer convicted rapist, lost an appeal Wednesday of his conviction of three counts of rape for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in 2015. The three-judge panel of the 6th District Court of Appeal in San Jose ruled that there was "substantial evidence" that Brock Turner had a fair trial.
Turner's attorney argued that because his pants were on and because he never penetrated the woman that it cannot be called rape but instead "sexual outercourse."
I don't know if Brock's lawyer has looked up the definition of rape, but the definition is, "unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female/male or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent."
So "sexual outercourse" of a drunk and unconscious woman would by definition still be considered rape.
A jury in 2016 found Turner guilty of assault with intent to rape, with two counts related to using a foreign object to penetrate a person while intoxicated or unconscious.
It might have been "outercourse" for you Brock, but you were inside your intoxicated and unconscious victim. It was intercourse for her and you should live with those consequences.
According to RAINN, out of every 1000 rapes, 994 perpetrators walk free. 310 are reported to the police. 57 of those reports actually lead to an arrest. 11 cases get referred to prosecutors, and only SIX will ever be incarcerated.
He blamed the alcohol, he blamed the campus drinking culture, he claimed there was consent and that she "liked it."
Even after two Swedish students testified seeing Brock Turner on top of a half-naked, drunk and unconscious woman behind a dumpster, Brock still feels entitled to a life without consequences. He sexually assaulted an unconscious woman, and all he cares about is the inconvenience of writing "sex offender" on all of his job applications.
Sorry Brock, but you are going to have to register to be a sex offender the rest of your life because YOU ARE ONE.
Even if he won this appeal did he really think people wouldn't remember his name? Brock Turner: rapist. That has been plastered over thousands of headlines this past couple of years. People will always remember the name, Brock Turner. Not for his swimming accomplishments, but for as his dad put it, for that "20 minutes of action."
A steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action? That's laughable.
Turner served three months and has to register as a sex offender, but his victim? She is the one serving a life sentence.
Brock will have limits on where he can live, work and travel. He will have restricted access to websites and social media. He won't be allowed to participate in activities that involve children, even if it's related to religion. He will be required to register as a sex offender and all of his activities may be monitored by law enforcement.
His victim will forever have the memory of waking up on a gurney. The memory of being told she had been assaulted. The memory of waking up without underwear because they had been cut off for evidence. The memory of pine needles in her hair. The memory of swabs and pictures taken from in between her legs. The memory of the pain and guilt on her sister's face.
She found out what happened to her in an article posted on the internet.
You've made her relive this night over and over again in an attempt to clear your name. In an attempt to receive no consequences. In an attempt to carry on like nothing ever happened. Revictimizing her over and over again. She will deal with the repercussions of being raped her entire life.
She will never be able to pretend this didn't happen, so you shouldn't either.
In the 2016 final round for the men's 100-meter freestyle swimming, it was a .22 second difference between gold and silver, and only a 1.2-second difference between gold and last. As a freestyle swimmer, you should know that every second and every action matters, not only in the water but in life as well.
So Brock, when you list your best swim times on your resume, don't forget to put "sex offender" at the top.
