School athlete’s sex assault case compared to Stanford case
BOSTON — The case of a former Massachusetts high school star athlete sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting two classmates is drawing parallels to that of former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner, who got just six months in jail for a sexual assault conviction.
“These cases are both examples of rape culture at work,” said Karin Roland, chief campaigns officer at the women’s advocacy group UltraViolet.
David Becker, 18, played soccer, volleyball and basketball at East Longmeadow High School. He was charged with rape and indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 but pleaded guilty last week to indecent assault and battery. He was sentenced to two years of probation with the possibility charges will be dismissed.
Roland said Tuesday that Becker and Turner are “privileged white athletes” who could afford strong legal representation. She said the judges in their cases put their interests above the interests of their victims and ignored prosecutors’ sentencing recommendations.