"Checking if underwear is damaged"... Stepfather sentenced for forcibly molesting middle school stepdaughter

[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A man in his 40s who forcibly molested his middle school stepdaughter's private parts multiple times over two months was sentenced to six years in prison.

On the 1st, the Bucheon Branch of Incheon District Court (1st Criminal Division, Judge Im Hae-ji) announced that A (48), who was detained and prosecuted on charges including violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, was sentenced to six years in prison. Additionally, he was ordered to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program and was banned from employment at institutions related to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities for five years.

A is accused of touching the chest of the victim, his stepdaughter B (16), at his home in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, around July 2019, under the pretext of checking whether B's underwear was damaged.

On the night of the 19th of the same month, around 11 p.m., he approached B, who was lying down in a small room at home trying to sleep, and touched her thigh. When B avoided him and went to lie on the living room sofa, he followed her and forcibly molested her by shaking her chest and buttocks.

Also, in the same month at home, when B refused to eat raisins, A molested her by pressing her chest with his finger, saying, "The raisins are here." In August, he is accused of touching her private parts while saying, "B's pelvis is strange."

The court stated, "The victim B consistently testified about the main details of each crime, such as the defendant coming home drunk on his birthday and touching her buttocks and chest," and added, "The detailed expressions and actions are so specific that it would be difficult to describe them without direct experience."

It continued, "The defendant committed the crimes against his stepdaughter, whom he trusted and relied on as a father, a minor with limited judgment, and the molestation involved serious areas such as the chest and buttocks. The crimes were committed continuously over about two months, indicating very bad criminal nature."

The court explained the sentencing reasoning, saying, "The defendant has continuously denied the crimes during investigations and in court, showing no remorse. Although the victim wants the defendant to be punished, considering that he has no prior record of similar crimes, the sentence was determined accordingly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.