60s Caregiver Arrested and Sent to Prosecution for Sexually Assaulting Intellectually Disabled Woman Under the Pretense of "Providing Treatment"

Hadong-gun "Strict Measures Announced According to Relevant Laws"

A support worker for disabled persons in their 60s from Hadong, Gyeongnam, was arrested and handed over to the prosecution on charges of sexually assaulting a woman with an intellectual disability.

According to Hadong County and the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency on the 24th, A, a disabled activity support worker belonging to a disabled activity support organization in Hadong, is accused of sexually assaulting B, a woman in her 20s, multiple times.

It was revealed that from October to early November, A touched parts of B’s body under the pretext of “treating acne.”

The crime came to light when B’s parents reported A to the organization A belonged to on the 3rd.

After verifying the facts, the organization reported the case to the police on the 7th. The police conducted an investigation targeting A, who is understood to have admitted to some of the charges.

Disabled activity support workers assist individuals with physical or mental disabilities who have difficulties in daily activities. It was confirmed that A performed this work by visiting B’s home rather than working at the organization.

The police arrested A on the 17th on charges including sexual assault and transferred the case to the prosecution on the 22nd. The organization processed A’s resignation.

Hadong County stated that to protect B, they responded by integrally linking medical diagnosis and evaluation and treatment, incident investigation, legal support services, and counseling services to strengthen family functions as a support system.

According to the investigation, if it is confirmed that the organization violated the Act on Support for Disabled Persons, it plans to impose a suspension of business for three months or a fine of up to 50 million won.

If the organization is suspended, they plan to recruit and designate one or more disabled activity support service providers to minimize care gaps.