Photo: AP
Dharun Ravi, 20, appeared in state court to officially say he’ll surrender to jailers tomorrow, beginning his 30-day sentence for using a webcam to peep on dorm roommate Tyler Clementi, kissing another man in September 2010.
Clementi threw himself from George Washington Bridge days later after learning of Ravi’s sick, surreptitious act. Ravi was on the hook for 10 years in state prison but Judge Glenn Berman took it easy on him. The judge said today that Ravi’s outrageous behavior didn’t amount to time in the big house. “I can’t find it in me to remand this gentleman to a state prison that houses rapists and murderers,” Berman said.
Prosecutors had previously said they wanted Ravi to do some time, but didn’t specify an exact sentence.
Middlesex County First Assistant Prosecutor Julia McClure revealed in court today that she believed five years would have been appropriate.
Berman acknowledged his wrist-slapping sentence wasn’t popular.
“I’ll stand on my belief that his [Ravi] conduct was wrong but not motivated by hate. I don’t think it was motivated by hatred and I’ll stand on that,” Berman said. “The interest of justice justified what I did, I only have to look at my [e-mail] inbox that people disagree.” Ravi was convicted in March of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and other crimes tied to his spying on Clementi.
Prosecutors, who want more time behind bars for Ravi, are appealing Berman’s sentence. Ravi had the right to put off jail time, but filed papers with the court today, agreeing to start his time tomorrow. Gay rights advocates held up Clementi an example of the consequences of bullying. Ravi's supporters said Ravi was not a bully at all, but a college student who made a bad decision — and that the charges were so serious only because of Clementi's suicide — even though Ravi was not charged with his death.
In his apology issued through a lawyer on Tuesday, Ravi described his actions as "thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish." He said getting his jail term out of the way is "the only way I can go on with my life." Clementi's parents, who had attended all of Ravi's previous court hearings, were not present Wednesday. Because Ravi's sentence is less than a year, it decreases the chances that federal immigration authorities will seek to have him deported to India, where he was born and remains a citizen.
Even though he is heading to jail, Ravi is moving ahead with an appeal of his conviction. Also on Wednesday, Berman went into more depth on why he thought a 30-day jail sentence was appropriate. He said one key factor was that he wanted to deter others from acting as Ravi did.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/gay_rutgers_student_convicted_roommate_Jo1kL4qo0865GfGTMvmamI#ixzz1wMiqIDEf
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