Rant for a rant.

We are in agreement that when [person/people] commit a crime they should be punished to some degree (decided by those involved and professionals). It is the law… functional society and all that. Goes without saying.

However, there is a slew of additional conclusions you have drawn here that need attention. Let's get this straight… you know, so we can be on the same page. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you seem to suggest... (exaggeration and facetiousness intended for my point)

• Humans are NOT, to any degree, the product of our upbringing or environment and under no circumstances ought that be considered when digesting stories such as this – be you the law-breaker (repressed sexuality, shame, etc.), the victim (forgiving nature, empathy) or an innocent outsider such as us internet folk (keyboard warriors, SJWs, lefts, rights).
• His entire [WHITE MALE] life is permanently and harshly defined by the mistakes he makes – even a single, moderately grievous one with no history of previous convictions. We must never be understanding or forgiving in the slightest because…
• …when a [WHITE MALE] makes a mistake, they will inevitably go on to more heinous and nefarious things like you suggested… he will definitely move on to rape, probably even murder and then genocide. There is NO rehabilitating that [WHITE MALE].
• Our race and gender will directly control who we are as people… there is no changing that. This is no straightforward case of a [human] spying on [human]. It must be viewed as a [WHITE MALE] committing a crime against poor, defenseless [WOMEN]…
• We are either a good person… or a bad/evil one. Saintly… or wicked. There is NO continuum of human experience.

Sounds outrageous, right? Here is my view…

Have some fucking perspective. A human made a mistake. Yes, a big one. It wasn’t a good thing… but far from the worst thing. I’d rather err on the side of the empathy and forgiveness like the victims and families than the harsh “justice” you’re so quick to dole out. He isn’t “evil” nor a “bad person” (there is absolutely NO science to back that concept). Far better to give people an opportunity to learn from a mistake (including punishment, should it come to that)… AND the chance to recover. Criminalizing always causes worse behavior... however, rehabilitation can cure. Other more progressive societies are finding far more success in being understanding and allowing humans to be animals, while focusing on rehabilitation instead of incarceration alone.

Also, stop blowing this out of proportion. 30 years ago, you wouldn’t have likely even heard about the story, let alone have the forum to talk about it like this. While that access to information has helped society to some degree… it has also done its part in creating this “Outrage!” culture we are now living in. Stop over-reacting, stop connecting unnecessary dots, and stop using nonsense buzzwords. We do NOT live in a rape culture (I can point you to several examples in Africa and the Middle East, if you need some clarification). Bringing up the fact that he was white and male is in direct conflict with the equality you seem to stand for… straight hypocritical.

An individual [human] invaded the privacy of other [humans].

I'm afraid, that until people like you can learn why the ambiguity of that sentence is important we will struggle to make further progress towards actual equality.