A Montana judge who made headlines for calling a rape victim "older than her chronological age" recently sentenced a man convicted of abusing his girlfriend to write "boys do not hit girls" 5,000 times, SeattlePi.com reported.
District Judge G. Todd Baugh also sentenced Pacer Anthony Ferguson, 27, to six months in prison for fracturing his girlfriend's face in three parts during an argument in August 2012.
According to the Billings Gazette, Baugh told Ferguson to number the list, sign it, and mail it to him by May 23. He also ordered him to pay $3,800 in restitution for his victim's medical bills.
In court, Ferguson admitted to punching his girlfriend in the face during their Aug. 24 argument, fracturing her skull in three places. In order to fix the damage, a surgeon implanted a mesh titanium plate in her face.
During their trial that ended earlier this month, the victim testified that she still experiences double vision when looking up or down and continues to suffer from pain and numbness in her face.
Penelope Strong, an attorney for Ferguson, argued that her client has made progress in taking responsibility for his actions and following his release orders.
"If I bought that argument, I would essentially reward you for what's transpired," the judge said as he sifted through pages of Ferguson's criminal history.
After reviewing Ferguson's multiple violations of his release, Baugh sentenced him to eight years in Montana State Prison.
Juli M. Pierce, Chief Deputy Yellowstone County attorney, said she is satisfied with the judge's sentencing -- a relieving change for Baugh following his comments in August after defending the sentencing he handed down to a teacher convicted of raping a student who later committed suicide.
"We'll continue to prosecute domestic violence cases no matter what the outcome is," she said. "We'll continue to fight that fight because that's why we're here - for the protection of the community."
