The family of the Rutgers University student who committed suicide after his roommate used a Web cam to spy on him is “troubled” by the cyber creep’s light sentence, they said in a statement Thursday.
Tyler Clementi’s parents, Jane and Joseph, commented for the first time since Dharun Ravi’s May 31 conviction to 30 days in jail on bias intimidation charges for using a web cam to spy on the gay teen as he made out with a male pal.
Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge after the humiliating September 2010 incident — sparking an intense national debate about cyberbullying and anti-gay bias.
“Although we do not question the sincerity of his feelings and we have never sought harsh punishment, we are troubled by the judge’s failure to impose even a short jail sentence on the several charges of criminal invasion of Tyler’s privacy and bias crimes,” the parents said in a Thursday statement via their attorney, Paul Mainardi.
READ THE CLEMENTI STATEMENT (PDF)
The parents said they are concerned the 30-day sentence disregards the law and misses a “valuable opportunity to reinforce the message that our society takes these types of crimes seriously.”
Jane and Joseph Clementi also criticized the apology letter Ravi emailed to media outlets on Tuesday.
“I accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices that I made on Sept. 19, 2010 and Sept. 21, 2010,” Ravi said through his attorney.
The Clementis didn’t buy it.
“As to the so-called ‘apology,’ it was, of course, no apology at all, but a public relations piece produced by Mr. Ravi’s advisers only after Judge Berman scolded Mr. Ravi in open court for his failure to have expressed a word of remorse or apology,” they said.
“A sincere apology is personal,” the parents continued. “Many people convicted of crimes address the victims and their families in court. Mr. Ravi was given that opportunity but chose to say nothing.”
Ravi on Thursday reported to jail to begin serving his 30-day sentence — despite his right to delay his report date while prosecutors appealed his sentence.
“It’s the only way I can go on with my life,” Ravi explained of turning himself early.