Stanford University is caught in an uproar following what some students and faculty consider a too-lenient sentence for Brock Turner, a former student who was convicted of sexual assault. WSJ's Melissa Korn discusses with Tanya Rivero. Photo: AP

STANFORD University rapist Brock Turner has painted himself as a victim and refused to take responsibility for his actions.

In a statement read out at court during his sentencing, the 20-year-old swimmer blamed the party culture at the university for his crime.

More alarming, instead of expressing remorse for his crime, Turner focuses on how it has ruined his life and he wishes he wasn’t so good at swimming so newspapers wouldn’t write stories about him.

While revealing he would give anything to change what happened that night, Turner refuses to acknowledge his victim’s pain and instead goes on to reveal how is a changed person who never wants to touch alcohol again.

He also claims he never intended to hurt anyone and if he could “go back and change what unfolded on the night of January 17, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

This is the full statement read out in court by the woman Brock Turner assaulted

Shockingly he maintains the sex act was consensual and he feels he did nothing wrong.

“I idiotically rationalised that since we had been making out where each of us fell to the ground, that it would be a good idea to take things a step further since we were just in the heat of the moment at that location.

“I asked if she was enjoying what I was doing, to which she gave a positive response.”

He then goes on to reveal how she consented to the act and was surprised when two men speaking in a foreign language approached him and tackled him to the ground.

“I screamed out for help 10 or 15 times before I realised my shouting would be helpless since no one was coming to help me.”

He refuses to acknowledge his victim was unconsenting, saying: “I swear I never would have done any of this if [redacted] wasn’t willing.”

Here are some other excerpts from his statement:

— “I’ve lost two jobs solely based on the reporting of my case. I wish I never was good at swimming or had the opportunity to attend Stanford, so maybe the newspapers wouldn’t want to write stories about me. All I can do from these events moving forward is by proving to everyone who I really am as a person.”

— “I want to show that people’s lives can be destroyed by drinking and making poor decisions while doing so. One needs to recognise the influence that peer pressure and the attitude of having to fit in can have on someone. One decision has the potential to change your entire life. I know I can impact and change people’s attitudes towards the culture surrounded by binge drinking and sexual promiscuity that protrudes through what people think is at the core of being a college student.”

— “I’ve been shattered by the party culture and risk taking behaviour that I briefly experienced in my four months at school. I’ve lost my chance to swim in the Olympics. I’ve lost my ability to obtain a Stanford degree. I’ve lost employment opportunity, my reputation and most of all, my life. These things force me to never want to put myself in a position where I have to sacrifice everything.”

— “I will never put myself through an event where it will give someone the ability to question whether I really can be a betterment to society. I want no one, male or female, to have to experience the destructive consequences of making decisions while under the influence of alcohol. ... I want to let young people now, as I did not, that things can go from fun to ruined in just one night.”

Turner’s victim said in a phone interview on Tuesday that Turner’s statement was harmful.

“People need to know that this way of thinking is dangerous. It’s threatening. More than my emotions, it’s my safety, everyone else’s safety. It’s not just me feeling sad and defeated. It’s honest fear,” she said.

“The anger everyone is expressing has so many levels of being hurt and feeling that fear. Anger is how a lot of us are expressing it, but it comes from a place of pain. It’s unacceptable. There’s no way you can wiggle out of this.”

CONTROVERSIAL JUDGE RECEIVES NEW TERM

The case has sparked universal outrage with many furious at what they see as a light sentence for his crime.

Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer, was found guilty in March of three counts of sexual assault for the 2015 attack.

He faced a maximum of 14 years in state prison, but on Thursday was sentenced to just six months in jail and probation.

Judge Aaron Persky has come under fire for the lenient sentence, with more than 682,000 people signing a petition calling for him to “be removed from his judicial position.”

Despite the backlash, the controversial judge has just received a new six-year judicial term.

USA Today reported Persky would have faced voters on Tuesday, but his election was cancelled because there were no challengers.

Stanford law professor Michele Dauber told the publication she doesn’t think Persky will complete his term.

“His victory will be short-lived,” she said. “I am 100 per cent confident we will recall him. His decision hit every woman in the state of California in the gut.”

Dauber, who has created a formal recall website, added: “His ruling was dangerous and wrongheaded. We need to replace him with someone who understands violence against women.”

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.