It was infuriating enough for Mandy Boardman to find out her husband, who had drugged and raped her in their bed, would receive no jail time for his crimes.
But it was an absolute slap in the face when the judge who passed down a lenient sentence of eight years home detention told Boardman to “forgive and move on.”
“The judge looked at me before he gave the final decision,” Boardman told the IndyStar. “I was told that I needed to forgive my attacker and move on.”
If you recall, the Indianapolis couple were in a fierce battle in court after Boardman said she found three sex videos of her on David Wise’s cellphone, but didn’t remember consenting to sex. In April, a jury convicted Wise on one count of rape and five counts of criminal deviate conduct — all felonies punishable by six to 20 years in prison.
But Marion Superior Judge Kurt Eisgruber thought differently, making sure Wise would never see the inside of a prison.
“I received zero justice on Friday,” she said.
Prosecutors Courtney Curtis denounced the home detention sentence, arguing that Wise would be spending his time in the home where the crime was committed.
“There is no difference when a woman knows her attacker and when she doesn’t,” Curtis said. “I think it is important to remember that this crime is one that was committed in the home and so serving a home sentence in the home is not something this office would ever ask for.”
As for Boardman, the light sentence has inspired her to work with organizations to help other rape victims.
“I want to be that person who’ll be strong for other women,” she said. “They cannot be scared that because of the extremely light sentence that was handed down in this case, that it would happen to them as well.”
Kudos to Boardman for turning her painful and personal story into a weapon against rape culture.
SOURCE: Daily Mail | PHOTO CREDIT: Screengrab
