Court: "Crime close to sexual torture, severe punishment necessary"
Long-term 10 years, short-term 7 years sentence imposed
One of the high school students who sexually assaulted a female peer by confining her in a motel and even broadcasted the act live via video call has been sentenced to a heavy prison term.
The 12th Criminal Division of Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Byung-man) on the 25th sentenced 17-year-old A to 10 years in prison as the upper limit and 7 years as the lower limit for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (rape causing injury). In addition, A was ordered to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs, a 10-year employment restriction related to children, youth, and disabled persons, and disclosure of personal information. Under the Juvenile Act, if a person under 19 commits a crime punishable by imprisonment for two years or more, an indeterminate sentence with upper and lower limits can be imposed.
A was brought to trial on charges of assaulting, confining, and sexually assaulting a female peer, C, along with six friends at a motel in Jung-gu, Daejeon, in the early morning of October 14 last year. At that time, they assaulted C’s face and abdomen, saying, "We won’t let you get pregnant," and sexually assaulted her. During the process, they filmed C’s naked body and broadcasted the sexual assault live via video call to acquaintances. Their crime was uncovered after C’s health rapidly deteriorated and she was taken to the hospital, where medical staff reported her condition. Additionally, charges of forcibly molesting another female student were also applied.
The court pointed out, "The defendant, together with multiple accomplices, confined a child and adolescent victim, committed perverse acts, and broadcasted them live to third parties, showing extremely bad criminal nature." It added, "Although the defendant is a juvenile, the crime is close to sexual torture, causing unimaginable holistic damage to the victim, and appropriate responsibility must be imposed."
Regarding the additional charge of forcible molestation, the court said, "Despite stern warnings from the victim and her mother, the defendant committed the crime again without remorse. Despite clear evidence such as chat logs and DNA, the defendant claimed the victim initiated sexual contact, causing secondary harm, making severe punishment inevitable."
Meanwhile, another main perpetrator in the C case, B, was also brought to trial with A but was additionally charged with a separate case and tried separately. B filmed C naked and broadcasted the sexual assault live via video call to intimidate C from reporting the crime. Currently, B has been sentenced to 10 years as the upper limit and 7 years as the lower limit in the second trial and has appealed to the Supreme Court, dissatisfied with the verdict.
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