The three men at the centre of the infamous ‘OC rape case’ were sentenced last week to six years in prison. They were found guilty at a second trial, last March, after a hung jury forced a retrial in summer 2004. The sentencing judge, Francisco Briseno, described the sentences as \x91mid term\x92. The men will also serve three years\x92 probation on release, and be included on the sex offenders register.

The three boys, friends of the victim, were found to have drugged a (then) 16 year old girl and then raped her vaginally, orally and anally with (variously) their penises, fingers and assorted other objects including a lit cigarette, a bottle and a pool cue.

The boys videotaped the assault and were discovered when one of them accidentally left the cassette in a rental apartment. The woman who discovered it, thinking the female in the video was dead, alerted the police.

The defence centred on discreditation of the victim as a mentally disturbed, promiscuous porn-star wannabe who willingly took part in (and initiated) a necrophilia-themed porn film. The 21-minute film is reported to show several scenes of the victim limp and unresponsive to slaps and penetration, and losing control of her bladder whilst unconscious.

The victim, known as Jane Doe to protect her anonymity, says she and her family have been subjected to continued harassment by the defence team including stalking by private investigators, defamatory flyers being passed out in her neighbourhood (taking away her anonymity) and her medical records being released to the press. In addition to this, it is alleged that several of her \x91friends\x92 secured as witnesses for the defence have had their testimony discredited or have mysteriously \x91disappeared\x92 between the first and second trials. Some jurors from the first case were paid by the defence team to act as consultants on the second case.

For more information, Pinko Feminist Hellcat has been following the case for almost two years, and has built up a thorough collection of reports on the case throughout its history.

Posted by Lynne Miles on 20 March 2006, at 3:58 PM