Stanford Victim's Letter Read In Congress

Lawmakers recite the 12-page impact statement in its entirety, with one Congresswoman describing it as "gut-wrenching".

Members of the US House of Representatives have read out the impact statement written by the Stanford sex assault victim in its entirety.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle spent nearly an hour reciting the 12-page letter.

It was led by Congresswoman Jackie Speier who said prior to the reading: "People must understand that rape is one of the most violent crimes a person can commit.

"Entering the victim's impact statement into the Congressional Record ... preserves this moment for history."

The case has drawn huge attention, both because of the victim's words, and because of the sentence handed down.

Former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner, 20, was jailed for six months for the attack on the unconscious woman in January 2015.


Brock Turner was jailed for six months


Turner was convicted of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated or unconscious person, penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object and penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object.

Under California law, those charges are not considered rape because they did not involve penile penetration.

Prosecutors had been seeking a six-year sentence.

Two Swedish graduate students who happened to be cycling past caught sight of Turner attacking the partially naked woman and stopped him.

The victim, who was 22 at the time, read her impact statement in court during Turner's sentencing earlier this month.

In it, she said: "You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today."


Activists have called for the removal of Judge Aaron Persky

It has since been read millions of times after being shared online.

Congresswoman Speier called the letter "gut-wrenching".

Beginning the reading in Congress, she said: "The sexual predator received a paltry sentence of six months in county jail, of which he will serve only three, for committing a violent crime.

"We are not moved by the felon's excuse of alcohol.

"We are not moved by the judge, who said a longer sentence would have a 'severe impact' on the offender.

"We are not moved by the felon’s father, who said that his son should not serve jail time for '20-minutes of action'.

"Emily Doe (a pseudonym given to the victim to protect her identity) is a survivor in every sense of the word, and her words deserve to be amplified."

Judge Aaron Persky has since been removed from another case of sexual assault.

Santa Clara County District attorney Jeff Rosen said the decision to reassign the case to another judge was "rare and carefully considered".