true crime

The Brock Turner Family Support group claims "he's the real victim."

Trigger warning: This post deals with sexual assault and victim-blaming.

Following Brock Turner’s conviction in March on three counts of sexual assault, a sickening Facebook page defending the disgraced Stanford swimmer is gathering support.

The page claims the Turner family is “dealing with a monumental life-changing and tragic situation.”

Disturbingly, it also argues the 20-year-old athlete, who may be released after just three months behind bars for three counts of felony sexual assault, is “the real victim”.

The Brock Turner Family Support page, which has attracted more than 5,000 likes since its creation on 9 June, also apparently seeks to undermine Turner's victim.

It dismisses as a "party chick" the woman Turned assaulted: a 23-year-old student who was found unconscious and half naked behind a dumpster, with Turner writhing on top of her and abrasions on her body.

(The brave unnamed student, whose stunning message to her attacker went viral, had dirt and pine needles in her vagina when two Good Samaritans discovered Turner assaulting her and called the police.)

"He is the real victim here, because he had a lot more to lose than normal people," the Brock Turner Family Support page posted on 10 June.

"Brock was going to bring OLYMPIC GOLD medals home to America and that's a lot more important than some party chick's hangover and fuzzy memory!"

On Wednesday, the group posted an update on "the sordid conditions Brock is enduring" in a Californian county jail.

“Brock is not getting any extra attention,” it noted. “Some of Brock’s meals are cold. Have you ever tried to eat a cold steak? I’m not sure how anyone could.”

Yet another of its posts contains an image of a woman skolling a bottle of hard liquor, alongside the tagline: "If you arent looking to swim, stay out of the pool."

Unsurprisingly, the page is being slammed by commenters as "victim-blaming" and "incredibly offensive."

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Dozens of Facebook users have flooded the comments section of each post, hitting back at the page's bizarre calls for sympathy toward the convicted sex offender.

"I don't understand anyone being blasted for not having empathy here when this family nor Brock have shown any remorse for his crime," one commenter wrote.

"If the worst that Brock Turner faces is 'words' for his horrific actions, he is very very lucky. His victim(s) will suffer far more and far longer," added another.

"Your son is not a victim. Get over it," said another.

A group entitled Delete The Brock Turner Family Support Page has even been set up in response. It has garnered more than 6,300 "likes" -- more than the original page in support of Turner, which has just over 5,000 views.

A change.org petition calling for Facebook to remove the offending page has also gathered more than 4,800 signatures.

"Parody or not, every 'support' page of Brock Turner is a huge slap to the face to not only Brock's victim, but every victim of sexual assault," the Delete the Brock Turner Family Support Page group posted on Thursday.

"The fact that these pages remain untouched and every attempt to report them and get them removed ends in vain is an example of how tolerant Facebook is of disgusting, offensive content," it adds.

"How is victim-blaming and rape acceptable content? We cannot rest until these pages are removed."

While the page apparently purports to be run by Turner's family, no administrator is specified and it's possible the page is the work of an anonymous troll.

Find the "Delete the Brock Turner Family Support Page" counter-group here or the change.org petition calling for the page's removal here.

Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence National Help Line: 1800 Respect (1800 737 732)