Sitcom star jailed for 30 years
That ‘70s Show star Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping two women who were in the Church of Scientology with him in 2003.
Masterson, 47, who was found guilty of raping victims Jen B and N Trout in his Hollywood home in June, received his sentence on Thursday, California time.
The actor remained silent in court as he received 15 years for each count, which will be served consecutively.
“One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences,” Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedoe told Masterson, according to the New York Post.
The victims testified that they passed out after Materson gave them drinks, then he proceeded to violently rape them.
Prosecutors claimed that Materson raped N Trout so violently that she threw up in her mouth.
Prior to the sentencing, N Trout read out her victim statement, where she slammed the actor for his violent actions, but also forgave him and hoped that he would do better in prison.
“You relish in hurting women. It is your addiction. It is without question your favourite thing to do,” she said, according to court reporter Meghann Cuniff.
“Life is precious and fragile. Find your heart … Learn something. Read books. Listen to the brightness of nothing and get well. I forgive you."
Jen B, on the other hand, reiterated the fact that there was no conspiracy to take down Materson or the Church of Scientology.
This comes after the defence had previously argued that the sexual acts were consensual, accusing the women of co-ordinating their stories to discredit former Hollywood star.
The victims also told the court that Scientology officials told them not to report the crime because Masterson was a high-ranking member of the church, and instead they were put through an ethics program.
After an initial deadlock vote, the jury found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape, but could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count alleging that the former star also assaulted his ex-girlfriend Christina Bixler.
However, he was not charged with any counts of drugging as there were no toxicology evidence to back up the women's statement, which will likely play a role in Masterson’s plan to appeal the verdict.
The Church of Scientology also released a statement, criticising the notion that they tried to silence the complaints, claiming that the women's testimony were “uniformly false”.
“The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone — Scientologists or not — to law enforcement,”
“Quite the opposite, church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land.”
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