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Brian Banks On Brock Turner — Stanford Swimmer’s Rape Sentence ‘A Case Of Privilege’

By Shaunee Flowers
Published on: 10:18 PST, Jun 8, 2016

Brian Banks, the falsely accused former NFL player, has a lot to say about the recent sentencing of Stanford swimmer Brock Turner and his shocking six-month sentence. Banks, who spent five years in prison for a crime that he did not commit, feels that the leniency in Turner’s rape sentencing is simply a “case of privilege.”

Brock Turner was convicted of three felony charges related to the rape of an unconscious woman behind a dumpster during a frat party. New York Daily News reported that Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky reduced what could have been a maximum of 14 years for Turner in a federal prison and gave him just six months in a county jail instead. The reason: he believed that a long prison sentence would “have a severe impact” on Turner and that the judge doesn’t believe he will do it again. To add insult to injury, there are reports that if Turner behaves while behind bars in county jail rather than federal prison, he may only serve three months.

In comparison, Brian Banks was just 16 years old when he was accused of rape. Banks was sent to a juvenile facility for a year before his trial, where he was tried as an adult. He faced a sentence of 41 years to life in prison for a rape that he continued to say he did not commit. Banks admitted in an interview in 2013 that his lawyer didn’t want him to go to trial. He believed that because of Banks’ age, size, and race, he would not get a fair trial.

After maintaining his innocence and turning down multiple plea deals, Banks was sent to Chico State Prison for a 90-day observation that his attorney said would end with probation. That didn’t happen though and Banks was sentenced to six years in prison by a judge who put up his sentence so quickly that Banks likened it to ordering food at a drive-thru. He ultimately ended up serving five years before his accuser finally admitted that he never had actually raped her.

Brian Banks was convicted of three felony counts just like Brock Turner, except his punishment was way more severe and he never actually committed the crime. Turner was caught in the act, there were witnesses, and his victim woke up in the hospital.

“They gave me six years. They gave him six months.”

“It seems like the judge based his decision on lifestyle,” Banks told the New York Daily News. “He’s lived such a good life and has never experienced anything serious in his life that would prepare him for prison. He was sheltered so much he wouldn’t be able to survive prison. What about the kid who has nothing, he struggles to eat, struggles to get a fair education? What about the kid who has no choice who he is born to and has drug-addicted parents of a non-parent household? Where is the consideration for them when they commit a crime?”

Brock Turner, the Stanford swimmer who was accused of rape, convicted, and even admitted to his crime, was let off easy. “A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him,” the judge said. “I think he will not be a danger to others.” This ruling has left many to wonder about his victim? Certainly she won’t have an easy time adjusting and dealing with the fact that she was brutally victimized by Turner.

The outrage over the light sentence imposed on Brock Turner, a former Stanford swimmer who is now a convicted rapist, is understandable. Brian Banks isn’t the only person who has voiced his disgust at the leniency on behalf of Turner due to his wealth and status. In the days since the sentencing of Brock Turner, there have been petitions, outrage, and even pleas to have the judge who let him off the hook with nothing more than a slap on the wrist removed from his position.

[Photo by Vivien Killea/Getty Images]

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