It was a case that was always going to draw international attention as it brought into the realms the impact of cyberbullying. And earlier today, judgement was handed down on former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi, who in March was found guilty of invasion of privacy and hate crimes that resulted in the tragic suicide of his roommate Tyler Clementi.
In what was perceived to be a relatively light sentence by some, Ravi only has to spend 30 days in jail. He will begin his sentence on May 31.
Many media pundits expected he would serve at least a few years behind bars.
During his sentencing, Ravi cried– as did the family of Clementi, who lost their son.
Ravi, 20, did not speak, but inside the packed New Brunswick, N.J., courtroom, his mother, Sabitha Ravi, in tears, pleaded for mercy for her son. “The media was ripping him apart with their misleading facts … He was absolutely devastated and broken into pieces,” she said, referring to her son as “kind-hearted and loving,” reports the Newark Star-Ledger.
Ravi was also convicted of bias intimidation, witness tampering, hindering arrest and numerous other charges. All stemmed from his role in using a webcam to observe Clementi’s date with a man in the dorm room on Sept. 19, 2010.
Ravi later Tweeted about what he’d witnessed and invited others to watch Clementi with the man, whose name has not been revealed. Prosecutors said Ravi was motivated by a hatred of gays, an allegation Ravi consistently denied.
“I do not believe he hated Tyler Clementi,” Judge Glenn Berman told the court on Monday, according to ABC News. “He had no reason to, but I do believe he acted out of colossal insensitivity.”
Clementi, 18, jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22, after leaving a note on Facebook that read, “Jumping off the gw bridge. Sorry.”
Do you feel his sentence was far? Let us know….
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