Teenage Rape Victim Tweets Names of Her Attackers

An angry teenage rape victim turned to Twitter for what she considered greater justice, and she got it. Savannah Dietrich, 17, shocked her attackers by violating a court order and tweeting their names. “There you go, lock me up,” she tweeted. “I’m not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell.” Savannah said she was astonished to see the boys get "a very, very light deal" in court after raping her at a party, circulating photos of it, and pleading guilty, she told the Courier-Journal. "I wasn't happy with it, at all."

The boys' attorneys wanted her held in contempt for breaking the confidentiality of juvenile court—a charge that could put her in jail for 180 days. But they withdrew the motion today. “What could contempt do now?” said a lawyer, after the boys' names had circulated online. As for Savannah, she "greatly appreciates the overwhelming support from all over the world," her lawyer said. Legal experts say such cases are increasingly common, because victims who once complained only to friends can now post their grievances online. (More rape stories.)