Illegal Filming Material Distribution Threatener Who Fled During Trial, Caught

A man in his 20s who fled while on trial for extorting money by threatening to distribute illegal recordings was caught by the police.

According to the Gimhae Western Police Station in Gyeongnam on the 7th, Mr. A was arrested at his hideout in Gunpo-si, Gyeonggi Province, around 7 p.m. on the 6th.

Mr. A, who started dating Mr. B after meeting through an online game in 2019, forced Mr. B to film sexual intercourse scenes, saying, "Long-distance relationships are difficult, so I want to watch the videos whenever I want."

Mr. B refused several times but eventually complied due to Mr. A's persistent demands and asked him to delete the videos.

Mr. A verbally abused Mr. B and threatened, "If you don't give me money, I will spread the sexual videos," extorting about 40 million won from Mr. B.

Mr. B even took out loans to give the money, but when Mr. A did not delete the videos and continued to threaten him, Mr. B reported to the police in November 2021.

At that time, the police applied for an arrest warrant for Mr. A on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and extortion, but the prosecution reportedly did not request the warrant, citing no risk of flight.

While on trial without detention, Mr. A changed or missed court dates citing health reasons and disappeared in November last year.

When he did not appear at the trial in April, the court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. A, and he was placed on the wanted list.

The police recently confirmed that Mr. A was hiding in the Gyeonggi area and, in cooperation with the Gunpo Police Station, arrested him.

A police official said, "Based on the tip-off and other information, we plan to investigate and hand him over to the prosecution."