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Brock Turner appeals sexual assault conviction, seeks new trial

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer who ignited a firestorm of controversy after receiving what many thought was a light sentence for sexual assault, is appealing his conviction.

The appeal, which was filed Friday, claims that Turner was deprived of due process and alleges prosecutorial misconduct as reasons he should receive a new trial, The Mercury News reported.

Turner was convicted in March 2016 of multiple charges, for the January 2015 sexual assault of an unconscious, intoxicated woman outside the Kappa Alpha fraternity on the Stanford University campus. Turner was sentenced in June 2016 to six months incarceration in the Santa Clara County jail, where he served three months before being released. He also received three years of probation and is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. The sentence was widely criticized for being too light, sparking nationwide protests.

Legal experts consider the request for a new trial as risky, citing the intense political scrutiny surrounding the case. If Turner was convicted a second time, there would be calls for him to serve state prison time, The Mercury News reported.