The business owners who lured two teenage female students with intellectual disabilities by promising part-time jobs and forced them into prostitution at entertainment establishments were sentenced to prison.
On the 21st, Yonhap News reported that the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 15 (Chief Judge Cha Jin-seok) sentenced Mr. A, in his 40s, who was arrested and indicted on charges including violation of the Act on the Protection and Support of Missing Children, to five years in prison, and Mr. B to four years in prison. The court also ordered them to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs and imposed a seven-year employment ban at institutions related to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities.
Mr. A and others were tried on charges of sexually assaulting or forcing two teenage middle school students into prostitution at the entertainment establishments they jointly operated from April 18 to May 5. It was investigated that they met the victims, who have borderline intellectual disabilities, at Yeouido Hangang Park and lured them by saying, "We will give you part-time jobs."
In his final statement on the 21st of last month, Mr. A claimed, "At first, I thought the victims were college students," but the police confirmed through a search of the entertainment establishments that they committed the crimes knowing the victims were minors.
The court stated, "The defendants deny all the crimes in this case, but according to the victims' consistent and detailed testimonies and evidence, they knew the victims were young and employed them at the entertainment establishments to arrange prostitution. Mr. A is found guilty of all charges, including abusing the victims by using violence and committing sexual violence." It also stated, "Mr. B is also found guilty of having sexual relations with victims under the age of 16."
However, the court judged that the defendants were not guilty of special confinement charges, stating, "Considering circumstances such as the victims meeting friends and other people and being taken to lodging, it is difficult to see that the defendants confined the victims."
Additionally, the court sentenced Ms. C, Mr. A's ex-girlfriend, who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Missing Children Act by not reporting the missing victims to the police and keeping them, to 10 months in prison with a two-year probation.
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