Stanford University: sex assaut 'every two weeks'
New data has revealed California's prestigious Stanford University reported a sexual assault to police every two weeks in the lead up to the Brock Turner rape.
Figures from the U.S. Department of Education show the establishment reported 26 rapes on campus in 2012, 2013, and 2014, around one sexual assault every 14 days.
Turner raped his 22-year-old victim behind a dumpster on January 17 this year, he was only stopped when two eyewitnesses stepped in.
The case has sparked worldwide outrage after Turner, 20, was sentenced to just sentenced to serve six months in prison and three years’ probation.
In a letter to the judge, obtained exclusively by the Guardian, Turner attempted to blame the incident on on a “party culture” of “drinking” at the university.
Judge Aaron Persky also sparked outrage over the length of the sentencing and saying that he feared a stiffer jail term would have "a severe impact" on Turner.
Turner's father said in a statement at the sentencing hearing last week that his son, who quit Stanford after he was charged, did not deserve to go to jail.
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"(Brock) will never be his happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile," Dan Turner told the court in his statement made public on Monday.
"His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve.
"That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life."
The case has put the spotlight on rape at US college campuses where, according to one study, more than one in every six women are raped during their first year at university while too drunk or drugged to be able to fend off their attacker.
The judge justified his lenient sentence saying Turner had shown "genuine feelings of remorse" and that the former swimmer did not pose a danger to society.
In the victim's statement she described how the attack had left her emotionally scarred and made her "not want (her) body anymore."
She recounted waking up in a hospital bed in San Jose, California, on the morning of January 18, 2015 without any recollection of what had happened and described the invasive exam she underwent.
She also challenged Turner's own statement to the court in which he said "I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin a life."
"Ruin a life, one life, yours. You forgot about mine," she told the court as she faced her attacker.
"Let me rephrase for you: I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin two lives. You and me. You are the cause, I am the effect."
She also dismissed Turner's account that she was conscious and willing during the assault which took place outside a fraternity party where the two had met.
Turner was convicted in March of three felony charges: assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person.
He was arrested after two bicyclists saw him assaulting the victim behind a dumpster.
When they called out, he tried to run away but the two tackled him and held him until police arrived, authorities said.
In a statement Stanford University told News Corp: “He (Brock Turner) has not been a student since January 2015 and has not been a member of the swim team since that time.
“The university has been strengthening its [sexual assault] programs for a number of years, well prior to this case.”
