Kurtrell Wells sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl attending remote classes[Image source = Twitter capture][Image source = Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A shocking incident occurred in which a 7-year-old girl in the United States was sexually assaulted while attending an online class on her computer, with the scene fully exposed to her teacher and peers.
Foreign media reported on the 17th (local time) that the Chicago prosecutor's office charged 18-year-old high school student Kourtrell Wells with sexually assaulting a first-grade elementary school girl.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on the 15th.
The victim child was attending an online class on a computer at her grandmother's house in West Chesterfield, Chicago, when Wells secretly entered the house and sexually assaulted the child.
The scene of Wells' sexual assault was fully exposed to the victim child's homeroom teacher and friends through the computer. The frightened students murmured after witnessing the assault, and the shocked teacher urgently shouted at the students to turn off their computers.
Wells hastily closed the computer screen upon hearing the teacher's shout, but the teacher immediately reported the incident to the police and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The police who arrived on the scene arrested Wells, and the victim child was transported to a nearby children's hospital.
Investigations revealed that Wells had been repeatedly sexually assaulting the victim child since last year. The local prosecution criticized, "He committed the crime deliberately and coldly, completely ignoring the children attending online classes."
On the other hand, Wells' lawyer claimed that he was diagnosed with a mental disorder that impairs impulse control. The lawyer requested bail from the court, but the judge reprimanded, "Wells' criminal act was broadcast through the online class, and many people saw the scene."
The judge further stated, "The defendant sexually assaulted the victim child for a year, and his behavior poses a threat to society," and ordered detention.
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