Dharun Ravi, Webcam Peep, Gets 30-Day Jail Sentence [Update: Prosecutors Appeal]
Dharun Ravi, the 20-year-old Rutgers student convicted of bias intimidating and privacy invasion in the Tyler Clementi webcam peep case, has been sentenced to a relatively scant 30-day jail term, The Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Ravi could have faced up to 10 years in prison; in their impact statements, Ravi's parents begged for a short term to diminish the likelihood that Ravi would be deported to India, a nation he has not lived in since he was five.
In her impact statement, Tyler Clementi's mother characterizes Ravi's crime as "malicious and evil." Both Clementi parents said they looked at Ravi's Twitter page in the aftermath of their son's suicide, and found it "painful."
The judge characterized Ravi's crime was not one of hate, but "colossal insensitivity." Still, he noted to the convict, "I haven't heard you apologize once." He said he will recommend Ravi not be deported. Ravi's sentence will begin at the end of the month. [Star-Ledger, image via AP]
Update: Prosecutors will appeal the sentence. They say it is insufficient.