Man gets 20 years for raping a child
Published: 02 Dec. 2009, 22:48
SUWON, Gyeonggi - A 31-year-old man was convicted yesterday of raping a child and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Suwon District Court also ordered the convict to wear an electronic anklet for seven years after he completes his prison term.
His personal information will be available to the public for five years, the court also ruled.
The man was arrested and indicted in September on charges of raping an 8-year-old girl at a public restroom near a playground in Suwon. He had five prior sex offense convictions, including the rape of a 60-year-old woman in February.
“The victim will suffer from the event for her rest of life and the family has faced unimaginable emotional agony,” the court said in its ruling. “Taking that into account, it is the court’s responsibility to severely punish this crime.”
The court said the accused had a medical history of alcoholism, which appeared to have influenced his actions. While the prosecution asked the court to hand down a life term to make an example to society that child sex crimes will be punished severely, the court said 20 years would be enough for him to correct his actions.
“He may be reformed after serving a long prison term,” the court said.
Under the law governing sexual crimes, a person convicted of raping a child younger than 13 can be sentenced to seven to 22.5 years, or be given a life sentence in extreme circumstances.
Yesterday’s punishment was heavier than the 12-year prison term handed down to Cho Du-sun, who had been convicted of a child sex crime earlier this year. The case had prompted public outcry for the court’s unreasonable leniency and the prosecution’s failure to appeal.
By Chung Young-jin [[email protected]]
His personal information will be available to the public for five years, the court also ruled.
The man was arrested and indicted in September on charges of raping an 8-year-old girl at a public restroom near a playground in Suwon. He had five prior sex offense convictions, including the rape of a 60-year-old woman in February.
“The victim will suffer from the event for her rest of life and the family has faced unimaginable emotional agony,” the court said in its ruling. “Taking that into account, it is the court’s responsibility to severely punish this crime.”
The court said the accused had a medical history of alcoholism, which appeared to have influenced his actions. While the prosecution asked the court to hand down a life term to make an example to society that child sex crimes will be punished severely, the court said 20 years would be enough for him to correct his actions.
“He may be reformed after serving a long prison term,” the court said.
Under the law governing sexual crimes, a person convicted of raping a child younger than 13 can be sentenced to seven to 22.5 years, or be given a life sentence in extreme circumstances.
Yesterday’s punishment was heavier than the 12-year prison term handed down to Cho Du-sun, who had been convicted of a child sex crime earlier this year. The case had prompted public outcry for the court’s unreasonable leniency and the prosecution’s failure to appeal.
By Chung Young-jin [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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