Repeated Sexual Assault Since 1st Grade in Elementary School
Grandmother's Coercion in Writing Petition and Secondary Harm
A man in his 40s who sexually assaulted and forcibly molested his biological daughter, who was a first grader in elementary school in 2007, for seven years has been released after serving a nine-year sentence. The victim is expressing anxiety about retaliation from the perpetrator.
On the 22nd of last month, victim A (24) posted a message titled "I am in a lawsuit with my father. Please help me" on the online community Bobae Dream. The post gained attention, and on the 14th, MBC's 'True Story Exploration' aired a report covering the case.
A man in his 40s who repeatedly sexually assaulted and molested his underage biological daughter for seven years was released on the 5th after serving a nine-year sentence. The photo shows him during a police investigation in September 2014. [Photo by MBC 'True Story Exploration Team']
According to the Daegu District Court ruling, in 2007 at their residence in Suseong-gu, Daegu, A was forcibly molested by her biological father, B. B took off his clothes and entered the bathroom saying, "Let's bathe together," then made A sit on his lap and forcibly molested her.
In the broadcast, A revealed that her biological father demanded, "Since your mother is not here, you have to take on the role of your mother, so you have to have sexual intercourse."
In 2013, at the same location, B pressured A to have sexual relations by saying, "If you have sex with me, Dad will get energized, work hard, and earn more money." If A refused, B would assault her or her older brother. A said, "On days I refused to have sex, my brother was beaten more severely as a warning," adding, "When he beat us, he mercilessly used whatever was visible. After being hit, there were always bruises on my buttocks."
A added, "When my brother was watching TV in front, Dad secretly touched my genitals from behind, and when my brother was playing games, he came to my room and sexually assaulted me almost every day."
In a police investigation in September 2014, B stated, "I don't think my daughter would lie, but I don't seem to remember," and "I never thought about the shock my daughter would receive. I asked everything and did it that way."
He continued, "It seems a bit strange that I was allowed to do that to my daughter," but when asked if he felt guilty, he replied, "I don't think I did anything wrong," which was shocking.
Meanwhile, A's paternal grandmother was found to have committed secondary victimization by forcing her granddaughter to write a petition asking for leniency and saying things like, "You are also at fault. Even if you were beaten to death, if you had avoided it, this wouldn't have happened," and "Love your enemy. Grandma believes in religion."
Earlier, the first trial court sentenced B, who was charged with forcible molestation within a family relationship and violation of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles against Sexual Abuse, to nine years in prison and ordered electronic monitoring for 20 years. However, the second trial court dismissed the electronic monitoring order, stating that the original sentence was too harsh.
A hired a public defender through the litigation support system and filed a civil lawsuit against B seeking 150 million won. A said, "Money is not the goal," adding, "This is my last punishment and desperate act within the legal limits I can do, and I want to at least deprive him of economic freedom."
In response, the first trial court ruled in favor of A in July last year. B appealed but gave up the civil lawsuit appeal ahead of the 'True Story Exploration' broadcast.
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