A public servant in his 30s, who was caught after fleeing for 7 years after raping a woman at a festival in Incheon, has been sentenced to a suspended prison term and released.
The Incheon District Court, Bucheon Branch, Criminal Division 1 (Director General Yeo Hyun-joo) sentenced A, a 36-year-old public servant in educational administration, to 3 years in prison with a 5-year suspension on charges of aggravated rape under the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes during a sentencing hearing on the 9th.
The court also ordered A to complete 120 hours of community service and 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures, and prohibited him from working in institutions related to children, teenagers, or the disabled for 5 years.
The court noted, “The defendant took advantage of a victim who was intoxicated to satisfy his sexual desires, showing a very poor character,” adding that, “The victim has struggled with depression and anxiety symptoms until recently since the incident occurred.”
However, the court explained the sentencing reasoning, stating, “A settlement document was submitted to the court the previous day,” and that, “The victim did not wish for punishment, and considering that this is the defendant's first offense.”
Director General Yeo said after the sentencing to A, “I received the settlement document and pondered a lot about the sentencing,” adding, “The defendant has also lost much due to this incident, and considering that the victim has forgiven him, I sentenced him to a suspended prison term.”
A, who had been in custody during the first trial, was released on the day the suspended prison sentence was handed down.
The prosecution sought a 5-year prison term for A, stating during the sentencing hearing held on the 13th of last month that, “There was no agreement with the victim and the character of the crime is very poor.”
A was arrested and charged with raping a woman along with an accomplice B in a tent next to a festival in Incheon in September 2017 and fleeing the scene.
The case remained unsolved for years until 2023, when B was caught by the police in Gyeonggi's Gwacheon for another rape incident, revealing A's past crimes after 7 years.
The police confirmed that B's genetic information (DNA) matched the DNA found at the scene of the 2017 incident and secured additional statements from B, confirming that he committed the crime with A.
Until just before his arrest, A was working as an administrative officer at a girls' high school in Gyeonggi Province.
B, the accomplice, is reported to be serving a 5-year prison sentence for another rape incident.