Former Stanford student Brock Turner, who served three months for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, is applying for an appeal. The swimmer who assaulted the woman behind a dumpster filed a motion on December 1. Turner's lawyers called the initial trial "a detailed and lengthy set of lies."
While not convicted of rape per say, he was convicted with three felony counts of sexual assault; namely, intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating a woman with a foreign object, and sexually penetrating an unconscious woman with a foreign object.
Turner who committed the act in Januray 2015, was sentenced to six months of jail in March 2016. A legal adviser to Turner, John Tompkins told the media that "It happened, but it was not anywhere close to a crime."
Tompkins maintained that the jury was subjected to "extensive 'behind-the-dumpster' propaganda." He also went on to say that the jury did not have enough evidence about Turner's true character. The new trial is being appealed to overturn his convictions that may mark him as a sexual offender for life. Prosecuters had initially recommended a six-year sentence to Turner who spent only three months in jail. Judge Aaron Persky who presided over the case was criticized for being too lenient.
The judge in his defense said that the reason he was not convicted of rape had to do with the laws in place at the time. Persky also went on to say that he believed Turner had shown a "genuine feeling of remorse." The case inspired California lawmakers to expand the legal definition of rape to include all forms of non-consensual sex.
Turner was released after spending just three months in jail and was release due to good behaviour. Post the Turner case, Persky was removed from a sexual assault case as the Santa Clara County district attorney questioned his ability to handle the case the fairly.
