Health teacher who found bruises on victim's arm reports
Prosecutors say "first offense, no flight risk" and reject arrest warrant
The prosecution's decision to dismiss the arrest warrants for two men in their 20s who sexually assaulted a 12-year-old elementary school girl they met through chat, citing "no risk of flight," has sparked controversy.
Two Men in Their 20s Met Through Chat, Raped Elementary School Student Despite Knowing Her Age
On the 29th, the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency reported that two men in their 20s have been booked and are under investigation on charges of sexually assaulting a minor (statutory rape). The two men, one a company employee and the other a university student, exchanged messages with Ms. A through a 'random chat' and, upon learning that Ms. A was home alone, went separately to her residence in Jung-gu, Daejeon, on the 14th and committed the assault. It is known that the two men were strangers to each other.
According to text messages released by TJB News from one of the perpetrators to Ms. A, he repeatedly asked, "Are you sure your parents are out of the house?" and also said, "Ah, I'm so anxious." It was reported that he even confirmed via video call that her parents were indeed absent from the home.
Ms. A was suffering from depression and difficulties in her social relationships, and the two perpetrators are known to have committed the crime despite knowing she was an elementary school student. Ms. A’s father expressed anger, saying, "I thought maybe they didn’t know she was an elementary school student, but they knew everything," and added, "I read all the messages my daughter exchanged."
Health Teacher Who Noticed Bruises on Arm Reported Incident... Arrest Warrants for Perpetrators Dismissed, Victim Faces Secondary Victimization
After a report related to Ms. A was made, the police launched an investigation. They identified the two men through closed-circuit television (CCTV) and applied for arrest warrants, but the prosecution rejected them, citing no risk of flight. The reasoning was that they were first-time offenders, there was no evidence of coercion or violence during the incident, and the two men were cooperating well with the investigation.
Ms. A’s father appealed, saying, "(The perpetrators) are working and attending school, living their daily lives," but "the victim’s family never knows when or what might happen, so even when working, they are always on edge and cannot focus properly." Additionally, Ms. A and her family have been receiving anonymous messages threatening to spread personal information about Ms. A’s relatives, causing them to suffer from secondary victimization and fear of retaliatory crimes.
The police have sent one of the perpetrators to prosecution without detention and are continuing summons investigations for the other. They also plan to investigate any secondary crimes such as threats to spread personal information and whether there are additional offenses.
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