An 80-Year-Old Man Who Attempted to Sexually Assault His Foreign Daughter-in-Law Receives Suspended Prison Sentence in Appeal Trial

Attempted Sexual Assault of Daughter-in-Law in Space with Grandchildren Present
First Trial Imprisonment, Released on Probation in Appeal Trial

An octogenarian father-in-law who was sentenced to prison in the first trial for attempting to sexually assault his Vietnamese daughter-in-law was released on probation in the appellate trial.

On the 11th, the Jeju 1st Criminal Division of the Gwangju High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jae-shin) overturned the original sentence of two years in prison for Mr. A, an man in his 80s who was tried on charges of rape within a familial relationship under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, and instead sentenced him to two years in prison with a four-year suspension of the sentence from the date the ruling is finalized. The court also ordered Mr. A to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs and imposed a five-year employment restriction related to institutions for children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities.

The appellate trial proceeded after Mr. A appealed the first trial’s sentencing on the grounds of excessive punishment. The appellate court stated, "Considering the nature of the crime, the extent of the damage, and the relationship between the victim and the defendant, and since the victim does not wish for the defendant to be punished, the original sentence is heavy and unjust."

In the first trial, Mr. A denied the charges, claiming "the daughter-in-law is lying," but he admitted to the charges during the appellate trial.

Previously, Mr. A was indicted in 2021 on charges of attempted rape against his Vietnamese daughter-in-law, Ms. B. At the time of the incident, Mr. A attempted sexual assault on Ms. B by saying, "I will sell the land and buy a house in Vietnam for you." It was revealed that the crime took place in a space where Mr. A’s grandchildren, aged 4 and 5 at the time and Ms. B’s children, were present, causing shock.

Ms. B immediately informed her husband of the assault, but she was unable to report Mr. A because her husband said, "If you report this, we won’t be able to live together anymore." Mr. A’s crime was exposed after Ms. B later confided the incident to an acquaintance.