Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Teenage Neighbor 4 Days After Release, Mistaking Her for His Wife

Court: "Victim Still Suffers Mental Aftereffects... Nature of Crime Is Severe"

A man in his 20s who sexually assaulted a minor teenager was sentenced to prison again in the appellate court. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] A man in his 20s who sexually assaulted a teenage minor just four days after being released from prison for assault was sentenced to prison again in the second trial.

On the 22nd, the Criminal Division 1 of the Gwangju High Court (Chief Judge Lee Seung-chul) announced that it upheld the original verdict in the appeal trial of Mr. A, who was charged with violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (rape and injury) and other charges.

Previously, the first trial court sentenced Mr. A to four years in prison and ordered a three-year employment ban at institutions related to children and youth as well as facilities for the disabled.

Throughout the trial, Mr. A pleaded for leniency, claiming, "I was in an alcohol blackout state at the time of the crime," and "I mistook the crime scene for my home and the victim for my wife."

However, the court judged that considering the victim’s appearance, physique, and speech as a teenager, it was unlikely that Mr. A confused her with his wife.

Nonetheless, based on CCTV footage capturing Mr. A repeatedly calling the victim "yeobo" (a term of endearment for spouse), entering the password at the front door, and knocking several times, the court found it difficult to conclude that he had the intent to trespass.

The first trial court stated, "The victim still suffers from mental aftereffects such as sleep disorders," and "The defendant has committed several impulsive crimes in the past, and especially the fact that he committed another crime just four days after release shows the severity of his offenses."

The second trial court also maintained the original verdict, stating, "The circumstances argued by the defendant and the prosecution as sentencing factors were already presented during the original trial proceedings."

Mr. A is accused of forcibly sexually assaulting and injuring Ms. B, who lives in the same building as his home in Gwangju, in the early morning of August 22 last year. At the time, Mr. A knocked on Ms. B’s front door several times, and Ms. B, mistaking him for an acquaintance while half-asleep, opened the door, allowing him to enter and commit the crime.

After the crime, Mr. A was found lying naked in the master bedroom, and about 10 minutes later, an acquaintance living with Ms. B arrived home and reported the incident to the police, leading to his arrest on the spot.

Police investigations revealed that Mr. A had been drinking heavily since the day before the crime and was intoxicated. It was also confirmed that he had been caught by the police for assaulting a passerby just before the incident. However, the police judged that investigation was difficult at the time and reportedly dropped Mr. A off at the entrance of his residential building in a patrol car.

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