Chuncheon District Court Sentences Man to Three Years and Six Months in Prison
Illegal Filming While Driving Private Academy Vehicle
A man in his 30s has been sentenced to prison for illegally filming the bodies of unspecified women, including students at the private academy where he worked, using a specially modified iPhone.
On May 9, Yonhap News reported that the First Criminal Division of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch sentenced Mr. A, a man in his 30s, to three years and six months in prison. He was charged with violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sexual Offenses (production and distribution of sexual exploitation materials, possession of sexual exploitation materials), as well as the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (filming and distribution using cameras, possession of materials filmed using cameras). The court also ordered Mr. A to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and imposed a five-year employment restriction at institutions related to children, youth, and people with disabilities. The confiscated modified iPhone and Apple Watch were also ordered to be forfeited.
Mr. A was found to have illegally filmed the bodies of 17 female middle and high school students a total of 141 times and produced child and youth sexual exploitation materials using a specially modified iPhone while driving a private academy vehicle from January 2020 to October 29 of last year.
Additionally, from June 28, 2021, he was charged with filming body parts that could arouse sexual desire or shame a total of 196 times involving 261 people. It was also reported that Mr. A illegally filmed women’s bodies 16 times at a study room.
Previously, in 2018, Mr. A was caught filming the bodies of unspecified women on the street using a mobile phone camera and received a suspension of indictment from the Chuncheon District Prosecutors’ Office Wonju Branch in November of the same year for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (filming using cameras). It was later revealed that he continued his crimes by purchasing a specially modified iPhone online.
The court stated, “Not only did he produce illegal sexual exploitation materials targeting students at the academy where he worked, but he also committed crimes against an unspecified number of people, making the nature of the crime severe and the number of illegal recordings significant.” The court added, “However, in determining the sentence, we took into account that he admitted to the crimes and that there is no evidence the illegal recordings were distributed.” After the sentencing, both the prosecution and Mr. A appealed the decision.
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