Cop convicted of rape gets home detention as judge determines there was no evidence of 'psychological injury' to one of the victims



A police officer in Baltimore recently convicted of raping one woman and assaulting another has been sentenced to four years of home detention for his crimes after the presiding judge found that there wasn't evidence of "psychological injury" in one of the cases, despite that woman receiving therapy.

What are the details?

The officer, 27-year-old Anthony Westerman, was convicted in August of second-degree rape and second-degree assault of a 22-year-old woman in October 2017, as well as second-degree assault of another woman in June 2019, WBAL-TV reported.

In the 2017 case, the victim said that Westerman, who was off duty at the time, offered to get her and a friend an Uber home because they were too drunk to drive, but instead he sent the Uber to his place. The victim woke up to Westerman raping her and when she told him to stop, he continued, according to charging documents.

In the second case, which took place in 2019, a woman told police she was at a birthday party with Westerman when he grabbed her and tried to kiss her multiple times against her will.

Prosecutors believed the seriousness of the crimes warranted a harsh punishment. But ultimately, Baltimore County Circuit Judge Keith Truffer moved to suspend all but four years of Westerman's 15-year prison term and ordered the officer to serve his sentence at home.

During the sentencing, the judge threw out another rape conviction, claiming there wasn't evidence of "psychological injury" even while reportedly remarking that what happened to the victim "may be the most traumatic moment of" her life.

What has been the response?

The lenient sentence, which was announced on Monday, immediately became the subject of harsh criticism from prosecutors.

"I'm disappointed in the outcome. I do not believe when you're convicted of second-degree rape that home detention is appropriate and I certainly don't believe only four years on this kind of crime is appropriate," Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger said, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The prosecutor reportedly told WBAL that the sentence was especially "not appropriate" for for a police officer, who "should know as well or better than others the reprehensibility of such an act."

Shellenberger also claimed that such a sentence could prevent victims of sexual assault from coming forward in the future, saying, "I fear this could cause rape victims to hesitate to report their crimes if they do not feel like they will get justice."

What else?

Westerman has reportedly maintained his innocence, and his defense attorney, Brian Thompson, has vowed to appeal the convictions.

In a statement released Monday night, Thompson said: "Officer Westerman and his family are relieved that the judge did the right thing by not sending him to prison. We believe that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence. This was a 'he said, she said' case in which everyone was intoxicated. The alleged victim waited over two years to report this to the police. The claim that she was unconscious is not true. She admitted under oath that she was not only conscious, but that she engaged in sexual acts that are highly inconsistent with a non-consensual encounter. We intend to appeal this conviction and we will not rest until Officer Westerman's name is cleared."

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Convicted rapist receives no jail time for crimes against teen girls, as judge rules, 'incarceration isn’t appropriate'



A New York man convicted of raping multiple teenage girls while he was in high school will not spend any time behind bars after a judge determined that "incarceration isn't appropriate."

Christopher Belter, formerly of Lewiston, New York, pled guilty in 2019 to raping one young girl and sexually abusing three others during parties at his parents' wealthy home just outside Niagara Falls. Belter, now 20, was between 16 and 17 years old when he committed the crimes. His victims were between the ages of 15 and 16 years old.

The maximum punishment for his actions would have been eight years in a state prison. But on Tuesday, he was sentenced to eight years of probation instead, and ordered to register as a sex offender, WKBW-reported.

Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III said he "agonized" over the sentencing, but in the end, he felt that prison time was not "appropriate."

"I'm not ashamed to say that I actually prayed over what is the appropriate sentence in this case because there was great pain. There was great harm. There were multiple crimes committed in the case," Murphy explained, according to WKBW. "It seems to me that a sentence that involves incarceration or partial incarceration isn't appropriate, so I am going to sentence you to probation."

The ruling reportedly shocked those inside the courtroom, which included one of Belter's victims. The Washington Post further elaborated on the fallout:

Steven M. Cohen, an attorney for one of the victims, denounced the judge's sentencing, saying to reporters Tuesday, "Justice was not done here." He told The Washington Post on Wednesday that his client, who was joined by some of the other victims in the courtroom, was "deeply disappointed" in the sentencing.

"My client threw up in the ladies room following the sentencing," Cohen said. "If Chris Belter was not a White defendant from a rich and influential family, in my experience … he would surely have been sentenced to prison."

Belter's attorney, Barry Covert, declined to comment to the Post. But according to the Buffalo News, he remarked after the sentencing that his client now sorely regrets his crimes.

"He is tremendously remorseful for what he's done," Covert said. "There are clients who are never able to empathize with their victims no matter how much counseling they receive. Chris isn't one of them."

Judge Murphy noted that Belter's probation would "be like a sword hanging over your head for the next eight years."

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