Innocent Victim of False Accusation Appeals Over Personal Information Leak
Contact Details Passed from Police and Public Defender to Perpetrator
A man in his 20s who was falsely accused of a sex crime after using the men's restroom in Dongtan has raised suspicions that he also suffered from a 'personal information leak'.
On the 12th, Mr. A, a man in his 20s known as the victim in the so-called 'Dongtan restroom false accusation case,' shared this story in a post titled 'Status Update' on his YouTube channel, which he created to assert his innocence at the time of the incident.
In the post, Mr. A said, "I received a phone call from the husband of the female false accuser," adding, "It seems my personal information was passed on to the woman who made the false report. This is not something to just overlook." On the 12th, he received a call from the female perpetrator's husband asking for leniency. When Mr. A asked, "How did you get my number?" the perpetrator's husband initially replied, "I got the contact from the police." However, shortly after, the perpetrator's husband contacted him again and changed his story, saying, "There was a mistake. Upon checking again, the public defender gave me the contact," according to Mr. A's lawyer.
The perpetrator's husband sent Mr. A a document titled 'Public Defender Application Form,' which contained all of Mr. A's key personal information, including his name, contact number, and even his apartment building and unit number. When the female perpetrator reported to the police that she had been sexually harassed, the police filled out the public defender application form including all of Mr. A's personal information, which appears to have been passed on directly to the public defender.
Regarding this, Mr. A's lawyer explained, "Documents containing personal information should be kept confidential in any way," adding, "The police officer sent the materials they prepared directly to the public defender, and ultimately, the perpetrator saw this and contacted the victim directly." He further stated, "This is a highly inappropriate issue directly related to the human rights of the parties involved and the protection and safety of those connected to the case. If the home address is exposed, it becomes possible to identify where the victim lives and what neighborhood they are in. Depending on the nature of the case, this could lead to retaliatory crimes and raise serious safety concerns."
Mr. A said, "I was shocked when I received the call. Even if they only had my phone number, it would be unacceptable, but knowing that my address was also disclosed is honestly frightening," expressing concern, "I don’t live alone; I live with my family. What if something happens to us?" A representative from the Hwaseong Dongtan Police Station explained, "We never directly provided Mr. A’s personal information to the perpetrator’s side." The official added, "The personal details of both the perpetrator and Mr. A were written on the public defender application form and submitted to the prosecution. The prosecution, which appointed the public defender, sent copies of the application form to both the police and the perpetrator’s lawyer. The lawyer then forwarded the copy to the perpetrator, during which Mr. A’s personal information was disclosed."
Previously, the Hwaseong Dongtan Police Station was embroiled in controversy for conducting an excessive investigation that falsely accused Mr. A of being a sex offender. On the 23rd of last month, he was booked on suspicion of peeping on a woman in her 50s, Ms. B, while she was using the women's restroom inside the management office building next to the gym in his apartment complex in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province. Mr. A denied the charges, saying, "I used the restroom, but I never entered the women's restroom." However, the police reportedly conducted the investigation with an attitude that presumed Mr. A’s guilt and used informal speech, even telling him, "If you have nothing to hide, just stay quiet."
When this story was made public on the YouTube channel 'Eokulhan Namja' (Innocent Man) on the 25th of last month, netizens harshly criticized the police, saying, "The police violated the presumption of innocence and conducted a coercive investigation." The police cleared Mr. A of charges only after Ms. B confessed on the 27th that she had made a false report. Subsequently, on the 1st of this month, Ms. B was booked on charges of false accusation.
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