INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Brock Turner Blames Rape On Stanford ‘Party Culture’ In Full Statement To Judge

By Lawrence Arboleda
Published on: 23:56 PST, Jun 8, 2016

In a written statement to a Santa Clara judge, convicted rapist Brock Turner shows how much he felt sorry for himself, placing the blame on Stanford’s “party culture,” alcohol, and his wish to fit in among his peers, the Guardian reports.

Yet, through all this, Brock Turner never once apologized to the victim, whom he raped behind a dumpster while she was unconscious. While Turner did acknowledge the victim’s “emotional and physical stress” and wrote that he can “never forgive” himself for what he has done, he never took responsibility for the crime, choosing instead to paint himself as a victim.

The sexual assault charge directed at Brock carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. On June 2, Turner was sentenced to only six months of imprisonment and a three-year probation.

In the statement, Turner also lamented how the public attention he received for raping a woman will prevent him from competing in the Olympics, putting to waste “the goals that I set out in the first nineteen years of my life.”

“The thought of this is in my head every second of every day since this event has occurred. These ideas never leave my mind,” Turner wrote.

Brock Turner wrote in great length how he felt tortured by the experience, even adding that he wishes he can go back in time and “never pick up a drink that night, let alone interact with (the victim).”

“During the day, I shake uncontrollably from the amount I torment myself by thinking about what has happened. I wish I had the ability to go back in time and never pick up a drink that night, let alone interact with (the victim). I can barely hold a conversation with someone without having my mind drift into thinking these thoughts. They torture me.”

Brock Turner continued the blaming game, this time placing the blame on Stanford’s “party culture,” which he says he experienced for four months.

“Before this happened, I never had any trouble with law enforcement and I plan on maintaining that. I’ve been shattered by the party culture and risk taking behavior that I briefly experienced in my four months at school,” Turner wrote.

Brock then wrote about how the experience had ruined his future prospects in life, which sounds ridiculous on account of the fact that he has never mentioned in the statement the emotional scars his victim will have to face for the rest of her life.

“I’ve lost my ability to obtain a Stanford degree. I’ve lost employment opportunity, my reputation and most of all, my life. These things force me to never want to put myself in a position where I have to sacrifice everything,” wrote the Brock.

The woman whom Brock Turner raped received global attention after issuing a 7,200-word statement describing the trauma she and her family have experienced during and after the sexual assault. The statement went its rounds on the internet, sparking global attention and raising the calls and petitions for a recall campaign.

The victim and the prosecutor raised concerns on Brock Turner’s prolonged unwillingness to accept responsibility for the sexual assault despite irrefutable evidence that the woman was unconscious. Despite these concerns, Judge Aaron Persky insisted that this should not count against Turner in his sentencing.

“I take him [Brock Turner] at his word that subjectively that’s his version of his events,” Persky said. “I’m not convinced that his lack of complete acquiescence to the verdict should count against him”

In a phone interview with the Guardian on Tuesday, the victim said that it’s important that people realize the harm of Brock Turner’s words.

“People need to know that this way of thinking is dangerous. It’s threatening. More than my emotions, it’s my safety, everyone else’s safety. It’s not just me feeling sad and defeated. It’s honest fear,” she said, recounting her traumatic ordeal with Brock Turner.

“The anger everyone is expressing has so many levels of being hurt and feeling that fear. Anger is how a lot of us are expressing it, but it comes from a place of pain. It’s unacceptable. There’s no way you can wiggle out of this,” she added.

What are your thoughts on Brock Turner’s statement? Please share your thoughts below.

[Image via Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office]

Share this article: Brock Turner Blames Rape On Stanford ‘Party Culture’ In Full Statement To Judge
Brock Turner
More from Inquisitr