A student who used his webcam to secretly film his roommate “making out” with another man in his dormitory three days before his victim committed suicide has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Dharun Ravi, 20, filmed Tyler Clementi, 18, having a sexual encounter with another man in his dormitory at Rutgers University in New Jersey without him knowing. Ravi then posted mocking comments about the encounter on Twitter. The students had known each other for just three weeks.
Three days later, Clementi killed himself by jumping from the George Washington Bridge, which connects New Jersey with New York.
Ravi could have received a 10-year prison term for a crime jurors concluded was motivated by anti-gay bias. But yesterday, he was given a 30 day jail sentence, 300 hours community service and must submit to counselling on “cyber bullying” and “alternative lifestyles”.
He will also have to pay $10,000 toward a program to help victims of hate crimes and a $1095 victims’ surcharge.
When passing sentence Judge Glenn Berman said “I have not heard you apologise once.”
