Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi has publicly apologised for the first time since his roommate committed suicide two years ago, after he allegedly spied on his gay sexual encounters using a webcam.
In 2010, Dharun Ravi spied on his roommate Tyler Clementi and captured his sexual encounters with another man known only as "M.B" in their dorm room. He later posted twitter messages on what he saw for his university friends to read online.
Following the incident, Clementi, 18, committed suicide by jumping from the George Washington Bridge in September 2010.
Ravi apologized for his "insensitive and immature" actions but said that he did not act out of hatred. "I accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices that I made on Sept. 19, 2010, and Sept. 21, 2010," Ravi said in a statement, according to the Associated Press."
"My behaviour and actions, which at no time were motivated by hate, bigotry, prejudice or desire to hurt, humiliate or embarrass anyone, were nonetheless the wrong choices and decisions. I apologize to everyone affected by those choices," he added.
Earlier, Ravi was criticized for not being sorry for his actions. Before sentencing Judge Glenn Berman in the New Brunswick court said that he hasn't heard Ravi apologise at least once.
"I heard this jury say 'guilty' 288 times -24 questions, 12 jurors - that's the multiplication. And I haven't heard you apologize once," the Judge told Ravi , according to The Star-Ledger.
The jury convicted Dharun Ravi on 15 criminal counts including invasion of privacy and bias intimidation in March this year. But Berman gave him a sentence of just 30 days in prison, considering that his actions were not a hate crime which could have fetched him nearly 10 years imprisonment.
The judge imposed three year probation and 300 hours of community service on him. In addition, he ordered Ravi to pay a fee of $10,000 which will go to a facility dedicated to victims of bias crimes.
The judge also told Ravi to attend counseling regarding cyber bullying.
Ravi will begin his one month jail term from Thursday (May 31).
