Clementis: 'Harsh penalty' not necessary

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Tyler Clementi's family said the man who secretly taped him kissing and hugging another man at Rutgers University doesn't necessarily deserve a "harsh penalty."

The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Clementi's family released a statement through their attorney saying, "Legal accountability for this kind of unlawful conduct is important, but that legal accountability does not necessarily require the imposition of a harsh penalty in this case."

Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi, 19, charged with invasion of privacy and bias intimidation, is accused of using his laptop webcam to spy on Clementi, his roommate, and another man hugging and kissing in their dorm room last year.

Clementi, who was 18, jumped from the George Washington Bridge after learning the encounter had been secretly recorded and watched by Ravi and others.

Clementi's parents, Jane and Joseph, were in court Thursday when Ravi turned down a plea deal offered by prosecutors that would have given him a maximum of five years in prison.

Under the deal, in which the judge could have given Ravi no jail time, he would have had to plead guilty to some of the charges.

Ravi's trial is scheduled to start Feb. 21. He faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted of the most serious charges.