A Man in His 50s Climbs Into a Woman's House He Was Watching and Commits Sexual Assault...

8 Years Imprisonment, 7 Years Public Disclosure of Personal Information, 10 Years Employment Restriction
Prosecution and Defendant Appeal First Trial Verdict... Second Trial Underway

A man in his 50s who had been watching a woman in her 20s living in the building opposite broke into her residence through a window by placing a ladder late at night and sexually assaulted her while she was sleeping, receiving a heavy sentence of 8 years in prison.

According to the legal community on the 23rd, the Criminal Division 1 of the Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court (Chief Judge Lee Su-woong) sentenced Mr. A (52) to 8 years in prison for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, including residential intrusion and rape.

Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch.
Photo by Yonhap News

In addition, he was ordered to disclose his personal information for 7 years, face a 10-year employment restriction at institutions related to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities, and complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program.

At around 5 a.m. on April 28, Mr. A placed a ladder against the wall of Ms. B’s (23) house in the adjacent building, climbed up, and entered through the window. He threatened Ms. B, who was sleeping in her room, and sexually assaulted her, leading to prosecution.

Mr. A had been watching Ms. B, who lived in the building opposite his own house, and admitted to committing the crime while intoxicated.

During the trial, Mr. A claimed that he was unable to achieve full erection and thus the sexual assault was an attempted crime, but the court did not accept his claim.

As a result of this case, Mr. A became subject to DNA collection. It was revealed through DNA comparison that on August 8, 2019, between 3 p.m. and 11:05 p.m., he damaged the driver’s side window of a vehicle parked in front of his house and stole a black box, leading to an additional charge of theft.

Furthermore, on April 24 at around 10:10 p.m., on a road in Wonju City, during an argument with his spouse, Mr. A allegedly grabbed and shook the collar of Mr. C (19), who was waiting at a traffic signal, by climbing into the passenger seat of his vehicle, adding another charge.

The court stated, "The crime of residential intrusion and rape using a ladder late at night is serious in terms of the method and danger involved, and the offense is grave with very poor criminal nature. Severe punishment commensurate with the heavy guilt is inevitable."

It added, "The victim experienced extreme fear that the defendant might kill her and suffered mental shock including anxiety that someone could break into her home even after the arrest. The defendant’s lack of effort to compensate the victim was also considered in sentencing."

Both Mr. A and the prosecution appealed the first trial verdict. Accordingly, the second trial will be held at the Chuncheon Division of the Seoul High Court.

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