Rape victim refuses judge’s suggestion of money from rapist

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana rape victim says she will not accept a judge’s offer to reduce her assailant’s sentence if the man pays her $150,000.

The woman said outside court Thursday that she doesn’t want any amount of money from her attacker.

State District Judge Bruce Bennett had just sentenced 44-year-old Sedrick Hills to 12 years in prison when he made the offer to reduce the time if the woman agreed to cash restitution. The Advocate reports the suggestion took prosecutors and the defense by surprise.

Hills was convicted last year of raping the woman in 2003 when she was 15.

The 31-year-old woman had read her impact statement in court, saying Hills took at least 16 years of her life. She asked the judge to take the same from him.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com