Rapist's father calls sex attack '20 minutes of action' as victim's powerful impact statement goes viral

The father of a star student-athlete who raped an unconscious woman asked a judge not to punish his son over "20 minutes of action."

Brock Turner, 20, has been convicted of three sex attacks charges in the US in a rape case that has come under international scrutiny both for the "lenient" sentencing of the attacker and his victim's powerful impact statement.

Turner, a swimmer at the elite Stanford University, raped the unconscious woman behind rubbish bins after a campus party in January 2015. Two cyclists passed by during the attack and pulled Turner off the 22-year-old victim. He tried to flee but they pinned him down until police arrived.

He was convicted in March on charges of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object, and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object.

Stanford University Credit: Reuters

He was facing a maximum of 14 years in state prison for the crimes but was sentenced to six months in county jail, three years' probation and ordered to register as a convicted sex offender for the rest of his life.

His father's letter to California judge Aaron Persky had said that the attack had "deeply altered" his son's life and asked for him not to be jailed.

"He will never be his happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile," Dan Turner said in a statement, read aloud in court.

"His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear and depression. Now he barely consumes any food and eats only to exist. These verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family in so many ways. His life will never be the one that he dreamt 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."

Sentencing him to county jail, Judge Persky said a state prison sentence "would have a severe impact on him."

Several aspects of the case have raised questions about so-called rape culture and victim blaming, including:

  • Not issuing Turner's police mugshot - a highly unusual move for police

  • The police's treatment of the victim, as outlined in her statement

  • Judge Persky himself being a former Stanford athlete

  • Some US media outlets listing Turner's swimming times in reports of the attack

  • The dismissive attitude of the attacker's father

District Attorney Jeff Rosen said "The punishment does not fit the crime" as the victim's 700-word impact statement went viral.

The statement in full - some readers may find the content distressing:

Turner plans to appeal his conviction and will be represented by high-profile lawyer Dennis Riordan, Palo Alto Online reported.