A 10-year prison term has been confirmed for an investigator affiliated with a disability rights organization, who was brought to court on allegations of sexually harassing and raping minor girls with intellectual disabilities.
As per the legal community on the 18th, the Supreme Court’s First Division (led by Justice Seo Kyung-hwan) confirmed the lower court’s decision from last month, resulting in a 10-year prison sentence for A, a man in his 50s, for violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (specifically, the rape of an individual with disabilities under protection).
An individual, A, who served as an investigator for a disability rights advocacy organization on Jeju, has been charged with repeatedly sexually harassing and abusing B, a young girl with intellectual disabilities in her early teens, another person, and B’s younger sister. The incidents occurred at various locations such as a consultation room, a storage area, and during home visits between July 2024 and February of the previous year. A was also accused of raping B in the backseat of a company car in February of last year.
The initial trial found A guilty and sentenced him to a decade in prison. It also required him to finish 40-hour treatment programs focused on sexual violence and child abuse, along with a 10-year prohibition from working at organizations that serve children and teenagers. A contested certain charges, but the court dismissed his arguments, noting there was no proof that the victims lied and that their accounts were trustworthy. The court highlighted, “As an employee at a center that safeguards individuals with disabilities, the defendant exploited his role to commit sexual offenses against victims who were unable to safeguard or defend themselves, which made his crime particularly grave and deserving of strict punishment.”
A appealed, but both the second trial and the Supreme Court rejected his appeal, supporting the lower court’s decision.
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