Former student in US webcam case to go to jail

A day after apologizing for the first time, an Indian-born man convicted of using a webcam to spy on his gay university roommate gave up his right to remain free Wednesday, while prosecutors appeal his 30-day jail sentence and ask for harsher punishment. The case of Dharun Ravi focused national attention on the treatment of young gays and lesbians in U.S. society after the roommate, Tyler Clementi, killed himself when he learned about the spying. Ravi appeared in state court in New Jersey to put on the record his decision to report to jail Thursday and waive his right not to be punished twice for the same crime. The state's appeal of Ravi's sentence as too lenient had stayed the sentence. Prosecutors want Ravi sent to state prison rather than county jail - though not necessarily the 10-year maximum sentence he faced for bias intimidation. But Ravi announced Tuesday he had decided to start his jail term, saying in a statement that getting the jail term out of the way was "the only way I can go on with my life." Because Ravi's sentence is less than a year, it decreases the chances that federal immigration authorities will seek to have him deported to India, where he was born and remains a citizen. Ravi's statement Tuesday also continued to deny his actions were motivated by hate or bigotry. He was convicted in March of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and other crimes for watching a brief live webstream of roommate Clementi kissing another man in September 2010. Clementi killed himself days later. Gay rights advocates held up the death as an example of the consequences of bullying. Ravi's supporters say Ravi was not a bully but a young man who made a bad decision, and that the charges were so serious only because of Clementi's suicide. Ravi was not charged with his death. In his apology issued through a lawyer, Ravi, 20, described his actions as "thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish."