A former Rutgers University student has been sentenced to 30 days in prison for a bias crime after he spied on his roommate’s gay encounter in a case that drew national attention to bullying in the US.
Dharun Ravi, 20, had faced a maximum of 10 years for his conviction for using a webcam to invade the privacy of his roommate, Tyler Clementi, and an older man in their New Jersey college dorm room.
Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge in September 2010, days after learning Ravi watched them through a computer-mounted camera and used social media to encourage others to do so.
Judge Glenn Berman said he never referred to Ravi’s action as a hate crime – a term commonly used to describe bias intimidation laws – but as a bias crime. – (Reuters)