A Massachusetts teen accused of raping two unconscious teens at a house party in April has been sentenced by a Palmer judge to two years' probation, the New York Daily News reports. The case was ordered continued without a finding for two years, meaning if 18-year-old David Becker gets through his probation without flouting its conditions—including not contacting his victims and staying away from drugs and booze—he'll walk away with no recorded conviction and won't have to register as a sex offender, reports the Republican. "We all made mistakes when we were 17, 18, 19 years old, and we shouldn't be branded for life with a felony offense," says Becker's lawyer, Thomas Rooke, noting that a jail sentence would have "destroyed" Becker's life, including his reputation as a star athlete who performed community service.
The "mistake" Becker was accused of, per court documents: heading upstairs with the two 18-year-old female victims to go to sleep after the April 2 party ended, only for the women to wake up (all three reportedly fell asleep on the same bed) to find Becker assaulting them with his finger. Per the police report, Becker said he hadn't had sexual contact with one of the young women, and that the other teen hadn't stopped him, so he figured it was OK, WWLP reports. One of the victims told cops that she had heard rumors of Becker—called "David the Rapist" by some of her friends, she said—assaulting other women, claims that Rooke tells the Republican have been debunked. Thanks to his probation, Rooke says Becker can now lead a "productive life without being burdened with the stigma" of sex offender status and head to college. (This former CU student was found guilty of sexual assault but was spared prison.)
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