Court Rejects Arrest Warrant for Elderly Offender
Reported to Police but Instead Accused of 'False Accusation'
Mistaken as a Fraudster in the Neighborhood Instead
An elderly man in his 80s was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) sexually molesting a 7-year-old child, sparking outrage among netizens.
On the 9th, an online community called BobaeDream posted a message stating, "Something shameful and terrible happened to my daughter on December 30 last year," and "An elderly man over eighty touched the child inappropriately." The author, Mr. A, who runs a restaurant, was having a meal with his child who was on vacation early in the morning before opening the restaurant on December 30 last year. At that time, a local elder visited the store. Mr. A said, "Since the neighborhood is small, we were somewhat acquainted," and added, "He drank about 4 to 5 bottles of beer over two to three hours. The child and the elderly man were sitting back to back while eating."
An elderly man in his 80s was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) sexually assaulting a 7-year-old child, sparking outrage among netizens. On the 9th, an online community, BobaeDream, posted a message stating, "On December 30th last year, something shameful and terrible happened to my daughter," and "A man over eighty touched the child inappropriately in various places." [Photo by Asia Economy DB]
After finishing his meal first, Mr. A was preparing to open the restaurant. The child continued eating with his back turned to the elderly man. After the man left the restaurant, the child told Mr. A, "Mom, the grandfather touched my buttocks and chest earlier, and it made me feel really bad." Initially, Mr. A thought, "He probably just patted her butt because he thought she was cute," but after reviewing the CCTV footage, he immediately reported the man to the police because the man had continuously touched the child's entire body.
Mr. A said, "Since it was vacation time, the child had to stay at the restaurant for long hours, and the man was a local resident, so the chance of encountering him was high. According to the police, the man's house was very close, just a stone's throw away." The child, who was at the restaurant, spent three months hiding and closing the door whenever the man appeared. Later, the man came to the restaurant claiming, "Where exactly did I touch the child?", "Are you scammers trying to extort money?", and "Do you know who I am? I used to be a gangster in Seoul," threatening to file a false accusation against Mr. A and the police. Mr. A never received an apology from the man and was eventually falsely accused but was cleared without prosecution.
He expressed his frustration, saying, "Due to the man's retaliatory intimidation, a warrant hearing was held on May 5, and the prosecutor immediately applied for an arrest warrant because I appeared anxious and the child seemed at risk. However, the judge dismissed the warrant on May 8, citing the man's old age, confirmed residence, low risk of flight, and low likelihood of reoffending, and the man was released."
"I became a scammer trying to extort money using my child in the neighborhood"
Following the dismissal of the arrest warrant, Mr. A raised his voice, saying, "In this neighborhood, I became the scammer trying to extort money using my child, and is it right to release such a shameless elderly man who files false accusations?" He continued, "I decided to publicize the case despite the embarrassment, because I felt there was no other way," and added, "The public defender and the center that conducted the child's psychological evaluation said the case was minor, the man was elderly, and a first-time offender, so he probably wouldn't receive a prison sentence," expressing his frustration.
Mr. A's daughter will begin psychological treatment starting on the 20th. He said, "I have completely given up on evening business. My daughter cannot even come to the restaurant because of the man, and as debts increase, she is surviving on convenience store lunch boxes. Why is the world so harsh to me? Why does my child have to be alone?" He emphasized, "The man shamelessly shouts that he is innocent and goes drinking at the neighboring store. Why should only we suffer? I want nothing else. There are only two things: the victim and the perpetrator must be separated quickly, and the perpetrator must receive punishment commensurate with the crime."
The CCTV footage released by Mr. A clearly shows the elderly man sexually molesting the child. Netizens who watched the video responded with comments such as, "He is less than an animal," "I feel like vomiting. I hope he receives proper legal punishment," "As a father of a daughter, I cannot contain my anger," "This is clearly sexual molestation," and "It's truly chilling that he filed a false accusation."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
