Taxi Drivers Who Committed Kidnapping and Sexual Crimes After Group Call Saying "Drunk Woman Onboard" Sentenced to Prison

Published 25 Apr.2021 15:54(KST)

Gwangju District Court. Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim So-young] Taxi drivers who sexually assaulted intoxicated female passengers by taking them home after picking them up in their taxis have been sentenced to prison.

On the 25th, according to the legal community, the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 12 (Chief Judge Noh Jae-ho) sentenced taxi driver A (35), who was indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (special rape), to 12 years in prison and ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring device (electronic anklet) for 10 years.

The court also sentenced taxi driver B (38), who committed the crime together with A, and C (24), who assisted or abetted the crime, to 6 years and 4 years in prison, respectively.

A and others were indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a female passenger after taking her to a house in a busy area of Seo-gu, Gwangju, around 5 a.m. on October 9 last year.

At that time, C, who initially picked up the passenger, shared via group call that a heavily intoxicated woman who could not control her body was on board, and then B transferred the passenger to his own taxi.

A and B kidnapped the woman to A's house and committed sexual crimes, and during this process, it was revealed that A also illegally filmed her with his mobile phone.

The police restored data from A's mobile phone and additionally confirmed sexual crimes committed against three female passengers over about a year starting from May 2019.

The court stated the reason for the prison sentence, saying, "C foresaw the sexual crimes of A and B but did not protect the intoxicated passenger. When the police investigation began, C lied that the victim was dropped off at another location and obstructed the investigation."