"Thought He Was a Man" 70-Year-Old Doctor Sentenced for Touching Middle School Girl's Chest in Hospital Elevator

Court: "The nature of the crime is serious and the excuses are hard to accept"

A man in his 70s was sentenced to prison for forcibly molesting a middle school student. Photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] A male doctor in his 70s who sexually assaulted a middle school student while saying "I need to lose weight" in an elevator was sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 20th, the Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 11 (Presiding Judge Park Heon-haeng) sentenced Mr. A (72), who was tried for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (forcible molestation), to 1 year and 6 months in prison and ordered his immediate detention in court. He was also ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and was banned from employment at institutions related to children, youth, and the disabled for 3 years.

Mr. A was indicted on charges of forcibly molesting Ms. B (14), who was waiting for an elevator in a hospital building in Seo-gu, Daejeon, on September 28 last year, by putting his arm around her shoulder and then boarding the elevator. It was investigated that Mr. A touched Ms. B's chest while saying, "I need to lose weight."

In court, Mr. A completely denied the molestation, claiming, "I thought Ms. B was a boy."

The court stated, "It is difficult to easily assume that the young victim fabricated shameful details with detailed lies, and contrary to Mr. A's claim, it was possible to know that she was female at the time of the molestation," rejecting Mr. A's argument.

The court also explained the sentencing reasons, saying, "Considering the circumstances, method, and location of the crime, the nature of the offense is serious," and "Nevertheless, Mr. A consistently made incomprehensible excuses, directly visited the victim's side without permission to cover up the incident, and made no effort to restore the damage."