"10% Difference"... 30s Sentenced to Prison for Pressuring Acquaintance Victim of Sexual Crime to Settle

"Only Physical Contact, Not Rape": False Testimony in Court
Pressured Settlement and Demanded a Share of the Settlement Money

A man in his 30s who pressured an acquaintance, a victim of a sexual crime, to settle with the perpetrator and even gave false testimony in court was sentenced to prison.

On the 15th, Kim Taek-seong, Chief Judge of Criminal Division 2 at Chuncheon District Court, announced that he sentenced A (32), who was indicted for perjury, to one year in prison and ordered his detention in court.

In March 2023, A appeared as a witness in the trial of B, an acquaintance, who was accused of rape, and testified about assisting the victim's 112 emergency call.

At that time, A testified in court that B was not raped by the perpetrator but only had physical contact. A stated, "I directly asked B if there was sexual intercourse, and B said, 'There was no penile penetration.'"

However, the prosecution judged that A made false statements contrary to his memory despite not hearing from B that there was no rape and only physical contact, and indicted him.

Accordingly, the court found A guilty based on the clear contradiction between his statements during the investigation and his testimony in court. This was because A had testified to the investigative authorities that "before the police arrived, I asked B, and B said there was penile penetration."

Additionally, about a month before appearing in court, A called B and, without accusing him, said, "Didn't you say there was no penile penetration?" and added, "My lawyer contacted me, but I didn't know, so I wanted to ask you," which was also a basis for the guilty verdict.

During the rape case proceedings, A also pressured B to settle with the perpetrator by saying, "End it by receiving 3 million won." A incited B by saying, "The perpetrator must be grinding his teeth in prison, aren't you afraid?" and "The perpetrator and his lawyer are preparing to sue you for false accusation." He even demanded "10% of the settlement money."

Chief Judge Kim criticized, "The defendant continuously pressured B to settle and demanded compensation, causing psychological pressure, and even committed perjury in court that could affect the credibility of the victim's testimony, inflicting considerable mental suffering on B."

He added, "Considering that the defendant does not repent for his wrongdoing, a corresponding punishment is inevitable. However, we took into account that the false testimony did not affect the trial's outcome."