A strange thing happens when one types “Brock Turner mugshot,” or “Brock mug shot,” or “Brock Allen Turner booking photo” into Google or when searching Google Images for Turner’s mugshot. Unlike most people convicted of sexual assault, Brock’s mugshot does not readily appear anywhere online. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Turner was found guilty on three charges of sexual assault against a rape survivor who published a powerful impact letter that has gotten more than one million views in 24 hours.
Update: Brock’s mugshot from the night of his arrest has been released, as seen below.
[Photo by Stanford University Department of Public Safety]
[Photo by Santa Clara County Sheriff via AP]
The difference in the privileges being afforded Brock are not lost on the online community, which is growing in outrage over the fact that Turner’s mugshot photo isn’t the first thing attached to articles about Brock’s sexual assault in the press. However, the media alone cannot be blamed for Turner’s mugshot photo not appearing online. A search for “Brock Allen Turner booking photo” results in no mugshots for Turner easily found online.
The images tab of Twitter after a search for “mugshot” shows some of the mugshots of folks who’ve gone viral lately, like the attractive female with the come-hither mugshot, or the crying felon, but none of Turner’s mugshots appear therein.
Instead, strange Facebook pages like one titled Brock Turner For 2016 Olympics in support of Brock appear online.
No Associated Press reports reflect Brock’s mugshot, and no Associated Press images as of this writing show Turner’s booking photo.
Even websites like Mugshots.com have Brock’s name and rape charges listed, but not Turner’s booking photo.
Adding details like “Palo Alto” to the searches via Google Images for Brock’s mugshot still only result in Turner’s smiling yearbook photo and courtroom photos.
Update: The Palo Alto Police Department issued the following statement about the Turner case.
“Palo Alto Police Department: That case did not occur in our jurisdiction, and did not involve the Palo Alto Police Department. The Stanford Department of Public Safety was the arresting agency. Just FYI, our release of information procedures (including when we release booking photos) are published here.”
A request was sent to police@stanford.edu on Monday, June 6, for the Stanford Department of Public Safety, the arresting agency for Brock Turner, to release his booking photo. Once Turner’s mugshot is released, this article will be updated.
Update: More journalists are requesting the release of Brock’s mugshot, but according to Diana Prichard, the Stanford Dept. of Public Safety is refusing to release Turner’s booking photo. Freedom of Information Act filings from the media will likely force the release of the mugshot.
It is a disparity that is being noticed by viewers searching for Brock’s mugshot, who are commenting about the continued privileges being afforded to Turner by attempts to keep his mugshot from the general public. A search for “mugshot” on Twitter finds many people commenting on the sentiment that Turner’s mugshot should be attached to articles in place of his suit-and-tie, “all-American” photo from his yearbook.
Meanwhile, the powerful impact statement from Brock’s rape survivor continues to gain buzz and views via BuzzFeed News, despite the delay in Turner’s mugshot photo being released to the public at large.
“The probation officer weighed the fact that [Brock] has surrendered a hard earned swimming scholarship. How fast Brock swims does not lessen the severity of what happened to me, and should not lessen the severity of his punishment. If a first time offender from an underprivileged background was accused of three felonies and displayed no accountability for his actions other than drinking, what would his sentence be? The fact that Brock was an athlete at a private university should not be seen as an entitlement to leniency, but as an opportunity to send a message that sexual assault is against the law regardless of social class.
“What has he done to demonstrate that he deserves a break? He has only apologized for drinking and has yet to define what he did to me as sexual assault, he has re-victimized me continually, relentlessly. He has been found guilty of three serious felonies and it is time for him to accept the consequences of his actions. He will not be quietly excused.
“He is a lifetime sex registrant.”
[Image via Shutterstock]