Dharun says sorry before jail term

Indian student Dharun Ravi, convicted of spying on his gay roommate who later committed suicide, has publicly apologised for the first time for his 'insensitive and immature' actions, saying he will surrender this week to begin his month long jail term.

Ravi said he regretted his 'stupid and childish' choices when he set up a webcam to view the sexual encounter of his roommate Tyler Clementi with another man on two occasions in September 2010 but said he did not act out of hatred.

'I accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices... My behavior and actions, which at no time were motivated by hate, bigotry, prejudice or desire to hurt, humiliate or embarrass anyone, were nonetheless the wrong choices and decisions.

'I apologise to everyone affected by those choices,' 20-year-old Ravi said in a statement released by his lawyer Steven Altman on Tuesday.

The apology by Ravi is the first time the former Rutgers University student has publicly said sorry for his actions. Ravi had come under sharp criticism for not apologising during his trial for spying on Clementi and then inviting his other friends to view the sexual encounter through a webcam. Judge Glenn Berman of the New Brunswick court, who had sentenced him, had admonished Ravi for not showing any remorse for his 'colossal insensitivity'.

During sentencing, Berman had said, 'I heard this jury say, 'guilty' 288 times - 24 questions, 12 jurors. That's the multiplication. I haven't heard you apologise once.' 

Clementi's parents too had said expressed sadness that Ravi did not seem apologetic for his actions that led their son to commit suicide.

Clementi's parents had become tearful as they read statements during his sentencing on 21 May, saying Ravi had shown 'a lack of remorse' for spying on Clementi, who had jumped off the George Washington bridge after he found out that Ravi had seen him kissing another man.

After a three week trial in March, Ravi was convicted on 15 counts of hate crime and bias intimidation charges. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, three years probation, 300 hours of community service and ordered to pay a fine of more than USD 10,000.