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PALO ALTO, Calif. >> A California judge is set to make his first key decision in a sex crime case since receiving harsh criticism for the light sentence given to a Stanford University swimmer for sexually assaulting a woman who was passed out.
Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky said last year he would be “receptive” to Robert Chain’s request to reduce his conviction for possessing child pornography from a felony to a misdemeanor, if the San Jose plumber stayed sober and out of trouble.
Prosecutors oppose the move. Persky scheduled an Aug. 25 hearing to consider the request.
Persky previously sentenced Chain to four days in jail and ordered him to register as a sex offender. Critics seeking to oust Persky from the bench say that was lenient.
They say they examined 14 other Santa Clara County child porn possession cases similar to Chain’s and found the judges sentenced defendants to at least six months in jail.
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