There is continued opposition from prosecutors and civic groups after the first trial court treated adults who had sex with minors by proposing so-called conditional encounters with suspended sentences and fines.
On the 18th, the first trial of the second trial of six people, including Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of rape of a minor and violation of the Juvenile Sexual Protection Act was held in the Criminal Division 1 of the Chuncheon Trial Division of the Seoul High Court.
Last year, the public officials, office workers, and self-employed people lured two elementary school students under the age of 13 by offering them pocket money, game consoles, and electronic cigarettes through social media, and then molested or committed adultery with them on seven occasions.
In the first trial, the prosecution judged that the victims were young and the nature of the crime was not good considering the content of the conversation, so they requested 20 years in prison for Mr. A and 10 to 15 years in prison for the other defendants, which is close to the legal maximum.
However, the Gangneung branch of the Chuncheon District Court, the first trial court, sentenced Mr. A to three years in prison and four years of probation in August last year, and sentenced the four other defendants to one to two years in prison and two to three years of probation.
One defendant who received the lowest sentence was fined 10 million won.
This ruling was made on the grounds that he did not use physical force on the victims, reached an agreement with one victim, and made a criminal deposit to the other victim.
At the first trial of the appeals court on this day, the prosecutor said, “No matter how conditional it may be, we are trying to protect elementary school students and those under the age of 13,” adding, “The sentence in the first trial took the victim’s age into consideration.”
The victim’s lawyer also said, “There is criticism that the state is committing secondary harm if it takes into account the fact that there was no coercion or that a criminal deposit was made,” and “It can be taken into consideration after confirming the victim’s intention to receive the deposit, but the first trial neglected this.” expressed his opinion.
Human rights groups also called for severe punishment at a press conference held before the first trial of the appeals court on the 18th, saying, “The defendants used e-cigarettes as bait to turn young, financially vulnerable elementary school students into sexual slaves.”
The appellate court said, “Even considering the age of the victim, the amount of sentence is very unusual,” and stated, “It is an unusual case where the sentence in the first trial is high, so there is a need to faithfully review the case.”
2024-01-20 23:00:26
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