A former Oklahoma City police officer, Daniel Holtzclaw, has been sentenced to 263 years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting eight women while on duty. The sentence was handed down by Judge Timothy Henderson in a packed Oklahoma County courtroom on Thursday, following the officer's conviction earlier this month.
Holtzclaw, 29, was found guilty on 18 criminal counts, including five counts of rape and 13 counts of sexual assault or sexual battery, after a trial that highlighted police abuse and the marginalisation of women of colour. All 13 accusers were black women, many from troubled backgrounds, whom Holtzclaw targeted using his knowledge of their criminal histories as coercion.
Several victims spoke before the sentencing, urging the judge to impose a lengthy prison term. Jannie Ligons, 57, whose call to police led to Holtzclaw's arrest after he forced her to perform oral sex during a traffic stop, said she felt vindicated. 'Justice was served for me and victims all over this nation,' she said.
Holtzclaw's attorney had filed a motion for a new trial, claiming the state withheld evidence, but the judge denied the motion. The sentence concludes a case that became a symbol of police abuse, with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump calling it 'a landmark victory' and 'a statement for 400 years of racism, oppression and sexual assault of black women'.
