Indian origin former student pleads guilty to spying on gay roommate

New York: A 24-year-old Indian-origin former Rutgers University student on Friday pleaded guilty to attempted invasion of privacy by using a web cam to spy on his roommate who later committed suicide, bringing an end to a case that cast a spotlight on cyber bullying.

Dharun Ravi admitted to attempting to activate a web camera to capture Tyler Clementi’s sexual encounter with another man with the intent of letting other people view it, but not publishing it over the internet. By pleading guilty to the third-degree felony, Ravi accepted a deal with state prosecutors to drop all other charges after an appellate court threw out his conviction, New York Times reported.

Ravi was convicted in 2012 after the case prompted a furore over the bullying of gay teenagers like Clementi, an accomplished violinist who leapt from the George Washington Bridge in 2010. Prosecutors did not charge Ravi in the death of Clementi, who left no suicide note. But shortly before his death, Clementi learned Ravi had spied on him.