A high school lacrosse player who was allowed to stay in school for months after being arrested for raping a classmate in a decision which shocked his peers has avoided jail despite pleading guilty to the crime and will now serve a probation sentence.</

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Elias Dowdy, now 19, raped the girl in her home in Niagara, New York, in May 2018.

Many of the details surrounding the case are unknown because he was underage at the time and was proposed for youthful offender status, a less serious status than he would have received if he had been an adult at the time.

Dowdy was arrested in late July.

Despite his arrest, he was allowed to stay in school and play lacrosse for months and crossed paths with his accuser in the hallways.

Elias Dowdy, now 19, raped the girl in her home in Niagara, New York, in May 2018. On Wednesday he was given a probation sentence

In May of this year, he pleaded guilty to third-degree rape but he was still allowed to stay in school for another week afterwards.

On Wednesday, Dowdy returned to court to be sentenced.

Because he was three days shy of turning 18 when the rape happened, he was spared youthful offender status and was given an interim probationary sentence.

If he violates it, he will be sent to jail.

The maximum term for third-degree rape for an adult offender is four years.

Under his interim sentence, he must stay at home and not look at sexual websites. He must also undergo psychiatric treatment.

Dowdy was allowed to stay at school for nine months afterwards despite being charged and was only suspended when 100 students walked out of class in protest.

On Wednesday, he appeared in court to be sentenced and read a statement asking the victim for her forgiveness.

Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon told the boy’s friends and family to stop attacking the victim online

The victim’s mother stood up in court to beg for justice. She said her daughter was still traumatized by the rape

Despite the victim’s mother appealing to Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon to give him full sex offender status, the judge sentenced him to one year of probation.

The judge also read aloud a Facebook post that was written by Dowdy’s brother which said: ‘That girl had the right to say no … it was consensual but they’re making him out to be a monster. All them people need to take a nosedive off a bridge.’

She used it as an example of the ways in which his family and friends had tormented his victim and accused her of lying for months after the crime.

The victim previously told of the pain she felt having to face him in the school hallways despite having reported him.

‘I don’t think anyone should have to go to school and see the person who’s ruined/changed their life,’ she told The Buffalo News.