![]() Three days after the crime was committed, I reported it to my mother, who then reported it to my counselor, who was then mandated to report it to the police. Paul’s school, I was sexually assaulted by a senior as part of a ritual game that played for years called the “Senior Salute.” ![]() But when I was 15 years old and a student at St. I’ve been grappling with that title recently because in a lot of situations I have to give a short, one-line statement as to who I am, which is not fair. I’m a high school sexual assault survivor, an advocate, and now an author. ![]() Credit: Heather Donlanįor those who are not familiar with your story, can you tell us a little about who you are and how you came to be a sexual assault advocate? Paul’s School rape trial, rape culture and sexual assault in high school, and her crusade for change. Prout recently spoke to the FBomb about her experiences during the now-infamous St. This month, Prout published a memoir (co-authored with journalist Jenn Abelson): I Have The Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope. Prout has been an activist and advocate ever since, launching the hashtag and movement #IHaveTheRightTo. “I want everyone to know that I am not afraid or ashamed anymore, and I never should have been,” Prout told the “ Today” show at the time. While she remained anonymous during the trial, Prout revealed her identity in 2016. Her perpetrator, Owen Labrie, was a senior when Prout was a freshman, and was eventually convicted in 2015 of misdemeanor statutory rape and felony use of a computer. In 2014, when Chessy Prout was 15 years old, she was sexually assaulted by a student at the elite prep school St. Paul’s and, during an interview in March at Bloomberg’s Equality Summit, called her school’s response and lack of support “an extreme betrayal” and an example of how high-profile private schools choose reputation and donors over students.Violence against women An interview with high school sexual assault survivor and activist Chessy Prout “I hope that schools, institutions and communities will hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes so that victims and survivors can continue to live their lives and truly thrive.”Īfter extensive bullying, Prout left St. I will continue to fight for the rights of survivors so that we can live without fear of retribution for pursuing justice,” Prout said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. “Every survivor’s story is different, but we all have a lifetime of healing ahead of us. She cofounded the nonprofit I Have the Right To, which provides support, resources, and advocacy for victims, and published a book last spring about her journey. Meanwhile, Prout has become an activist for survivors of sexual assault. Labrie’s lawyer did not respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment. “He’d like to thank the friends and family that have stood by him and supported him all these years.” He will be settling in and working on rebuilding his life,” his lawyers said in a statement to ABC News. “Owen is happy to be home with his family. His release comes weeks after the New Hampshire Supreme Court denied his request for a new trial based on arguments that his attorneys had failed to properly defend him against the computer charge. The 23-year-old was supposed to serve the last 10 months of his sentence, but he was discharged for good behavior. Not even a year later, the court determined that Labrie violated his curfew and he spent two months in jail.ĭeploying several defense teams, Labrie has repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to petition the judge to shorten his sentence and drop his convictions. However, after Labrie appealed his conviction, a judge suspended his sentence and allowed the former senior to remain under curfew at his mother’s house. In 2015, a judge sentenced Labrie to 12 months in prison for the more minor sexual assault charges. During Labrie’s trial, prosecutors argued that it was a thinly veiled attempt for senior boys to compete with one another for how many girls they could sleep with. Paul’s graduating class invites sophomores and juniors out on dates. However, he was acquitted of the three most serious felony charges in a case that thrust the revered prep school and its traditions into the national conversation about sexual assault on campuses.Īs part of a ritual known as the “senior salute,” St. As a result, he had to register as a sex offender. ![]() Paul’s student, to the math and science building at the prestigious New Hampshire private school in May 2014 and sexually assaulting her. Owen Labrie, now 23, was found guilty of several misdemeanor sexual assault charges, including using “computer services” to lure Chessy Prout, a fellow St. The elite New Hampshire prep school student who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old classmate was released from jail months early for good behavior.
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