Channing Tatum: Brock Turner's Sentence 'Just Doesn't Make Any Sense'
Like you, Channing Tatum is appalled at the lenient sentence handed down to convicted rapist Brock Turner earlier this month.
"I think it's a horrible idea to let someone off because possibly of what they are going to be capable of doing," Tatum said at a Cannes Lions Q&A earlier today, referencing the statement in which Judge Aaron Persky explained why Turner would only serve a maximum of six months in county jail. (According to Persky, a "prison sentence would have a severe impact on [Turner]" and he did not think Turner would be "a danger to others.")
Tatum fumed: "If you start doing that, where do you stop? Where is the line? I don't think it's right. I think he should have been punished, personally."
The star continued, adding that he just "couldn't believe" that Turner wouldn't face more significant consequences for his crimes. "It's like if you killed someone and got caught red-handed and just because you went to a nice school and you were a good swimmer, you somehow get a lesser sentence," he said. "That just doesn't make any sense."
The case has gotten extra attention over the past few weeks, since the victim read a letter to Turner in court that soon went viral. She railed against the culture of privilege that protects attackers and scrutinizes survivors. She addressed Turner directly, saying: "You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today. The damage is done; no one can undo it."
A change.org petition to have Judge Persky removed from his judgeship has almost 100,000 supporters. Meanwhile, Turner's sentence has already been halved-he will only serve three months in jail.
