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It’s the case that has set the world alight.
When Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky sentenced former Stanford University student Brock Allen Turner to just six months in prison after he was convicted of sexual assault against a 23-year-old woman, he had no idea of the global outrage his decision would spark.
Around the world, hundreds of thousands of people have called for Judge Perksy to be removed, while the mug shot of Turner has become synonymous with sexual assault.
So how light was the sentencing, really?
To put Turner’s sentencing into perspective (he was sent to prison for six months out of a possible 10 years), we’ve pulled together a list of people who were sent to prison for much longer for far less serious crimes.
Abner Schoenwetter
Schoenwetter was sentenced to eight years in prison in the US for importing lobster tails that were undersized, and therefore against local Honduran laws. He ended up serving six years in prison and was released at the age of 64 in 2010. Yep, really.
Steven Avery
Steven Avery of Manitowoc County, USA, served 18 years in prison for a sexual assault crime that he did not commit. He was finally proven innocent in 2003. His story has since been made into a documentary. You might have heard of it: Making A Murderer.
James V. Taylor
Police found such a small amount of crack cocaine in Taylor’s car that it was described as ‘unweighable’, yet, in 2010, he was given a 15-year prison sentence in Missouri.
Danny Nightingale
This British soldier received a gun in 2007 from the Iraqi government as a ‘trophy’ for helping to train their soldiers. He intended to deactivate it and give it to his unit framed. Unfortunately, he forgot about the gun, and it was discovered in 2012, leading to him being sentenced to 18 months in prison. Luckily, he won the appeal and was released after three weeks.
These Six Italian Scientists
Six Italian scientists were sentenced to six years in prison for failing to predict an earthquake. Though the earthquake killed 300 people, there was uproar in the scientific community as they claimed there was no way to reliably predict earthquakes.
Bryan Paul Smith
Smith took his neighbour’s pet spider hostage (we’re not making this stuff up) and was sentenced to four and a half years in jail for threatening to shoot him if he took it away.
Neil McArdle
McArdle was jailed for 12 months for making a hoax bomb to cover up the fact that he failed to book a wedding venue for him and his fiancee.
Weldon Angelos
Music producer Weldon Angelos was sentenced to 55 years in jail for possessing a firearm while selling marijuana in 2004. He was released after serving 12 years of his sentence.
