In the latest evidence that there are “two justice systems” in America based on race, a Maryland police officer became the second white person convicted of rape in as many weeks to enjoy the privilege of not receiving any jail or prison time for their violent felony offenses.
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Despite Baltimore County cop Anthony Westerman raping a woman and assaulting another — crimes for which he was found guilty and convicted of in August — a judge decided on Monday that serving a sentence of four years at his home was a more appropriate punishment, according to NBC News. Baltimore County Circuit Judge Keith Truffer ultimately dropped one count of second-degree rape because, he said, there was no “psychological injury” for one of the two women victims.
Westerman’s lenient sentence came days after a judge decided that jail time wasn’t “appropriate” for 20-year-old New Yorker Christopher Belter, who pleaded guilty to and was convicted of felony charges of third-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse, as well as two misdemeanor charges of second-degree sexual abuse. Belter was a teenager when he raped and sexually abused four teenage girls on separate occasions during parties at his parents’ home near Niagara Falls.
On Nov. 16, Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III decided jail time wasn’t “appropriate” for these especially heinous crimes and that eight years probation and a stern warning not to do it again made for a more suitable punishment.
Source: ‘Two Justice Systems’: Maryland Cop Is 2nd White Convicted Rapist To Avoid Jail In As Many Weeks
