Judge Mary Hurley refused to set bail at the $2,500 suggested by the defense attorneys of the four teenagers accused of gang raping an 18-year-old in her UMass dorm room on October 13th. Hurley said, “I have never in my entire time on the bench heard such an egregious set of facts…I find the facts horrendous.” Instead, bail was set for $10,000 under the stipulation that the boys wear a GPS device and obey a specified curfew. The four boys, Emmanuel Bile, 18, Justin King, 18, Adam Liccardi, 18, and Caleb Womack, 17, are accused of attacking the victim after being let into the dorms by an unnamed third party. They were known to the victim, although none were UMass students.
In light of the incident, the college is reviewing their security measures. In a statement released by the University, Horvath said, “The safety of our students is paramount. Following the incident, we communicated with security personnel and residence hall staff to reiterate current security procedures. In addition, while campus security measures have generally proved effective in the past, the university will conduct a comprehensive review of security in our residence halls. The campus is providing support to the victim and her family through our well-established resources on campus. In addition, we will redouble our efforts to educate all members of our community about protecting their safety.”
In 2011 there were only 13 reported sexual assaults at UMass. The victim was commended for her bravery in coming forward by Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan. Click here for more information on the prevalence rape at college campuses in America, and here for a similar story about a sexual assault at Amherst, posted on the BUST Blog a few days ago.
Images via bostonherald.com and umass.edu
