Last semester, Marcus Bonner and two accomplices committed a brutal sexual assault on the 500 block of University Avenue, directly behind Ian's Pizza. Two men assaulted a 23-year-old woman while a third took pictures of the incident with his cell phone.
Bonner, first of the three alleged assailants, was sentenced last week. Today, Bonner walks free because the judge determined Bonner's pre-trial jail time fulfilled any further debt to the state.
Bonner's sentence was completely insufficient and reprehensible.
Bonner was sentenced to nine months in jail for each of the three sexual assault charges, but was released because the time he spent in jail prior to his trial fulfilled the nine-month sentence.
It is unacceptable that someone who pled no contest to and was convicted of three sexual assault charges can escape punishment due to the trial and timeline of his court appearances.
This was a horrific crime to which Bonner pled no contest. Anything less than the maximum punishment is less than adequate.
Students have the right to expect that criminal law proceedings work toward achieving campus safety. We believe it is a mistake to allow sexual assailants to go free on a sentencing technicality for such a brutal attack. This outcome will only promote feelings of fear and insecurity throughout campus.
We encourage the court to consider our opinion when alleged sexual assailant Antonio L. Pope appears in court tomorrow. Pope is accused of committing two sexual assaults in the campus area last semester. Pope allegedly kidnapped two UW-Madison students at knifepoint, drove them off-campus and raped them.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, told The Daily Cardinal last week that he did not know the terms of the plea bargain, nor did he know how long or even if Pope would be sent to jail. Especially now, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we implore the courts to keep community safety in mind.
The rash of sexual assaults last fall affected feelings of safety among the student body and this is a sentiment the courts should fight to reverse as fervently as possible. Fair but strict sentences for repeat offenders, such as Pope, and sexual assailants in general are necessary to promote a healthy climate of campus safety.
The court has the power to do something about this situation and this editorial board will tolerate nothing less than stringent sentencing to ensure student safety from convicted sexual assailants.
