Mentally ill rapist denied break on 10- to 20-year prison sentence
Patriot-NewsDec 12, 2017
Instead, a
Police said
Gibson pleaded guilty but mentally ill to rape charges. When he imposed the prison term, which exceeds that aggravated range of the sentencing guidelines, county Judge
On appeal, Gibson argued that his sentence is "manifestly excessive" and doesn't take into account his mental health issues and his rehabilitative needs.
Panella found that Silow did weigh those needs, but also gave justifiable weight to the terror Gibson had inflicted on the victim, who didn't know Gibson.
"The impact of a forcible rape on a victim should not be ignored," Panella wrote. "Nor should the protection of the public be ignored, given the fact that...Gibson committed this crime due to his mental illness.'
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