'Pretending to Reenact Incident' Public Defender Habitually Molested Sexual Assault Victim, Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

Gwangju District Court. Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] The prosecution has demanded a four-year prison sentence for a court-appointed lawyer who was tried on charges of forcibly molesting a female client who had reported sexual violence.

According to the legal community on the 11th, Judge Oh Yeonsu of the Criminal Division 3 at Gwangju District Court held a closed sentencing hearing for lawyer A, who was detained and indicted on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (molestation by abuse of authority in the course of duty), and requested a four-year prison sentence along with an order to complete a sexual violence treatment program.

Earlier, A was indicted on charges of inappropriate physical contact with female client B, a victim of a sexual violence case, at his office in Dong-gu, Gwangju, on August 31 of last year (violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes).

Investigations revealed that A molested B by pretending to reenact the crime during a legal consultation.

A is also accused of forcibly molesting another female client C, a victim of a sexual violence case, in the same manner at his office on June 15 of last year.

A had been working as a court-appointed lawyer for victims selected by the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office since April of last year. The prosecution replaced the court-appointed lawyer for the victim immediately after the incident occurred.

The sentencing hearing for A is scheduled for 9:50 a.m. on the 7th of next month.

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