[Herald DB]
[Herald DB]

A man in his 60s who committed sex crimes against his wife's elementary school-age niece for years has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

According to legal sources Thursday, the Jeju District Court's Criminal Division 2, presided over by Judge Seo Beom-uk, sentenced the defendant, identified only as A, to eight years in prison on charges including violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes — specifically rape of a minor under 13 — and violation of the Child Welfare Act. The court also ordered A to complete 80 hours of a sexual violence treatment program, have his personal information disclosed and notified for 10 years, and be barred from employment at institutions serving children, juveniles and people with disabilities for 10 years.

A first groped B, his wife's niece, who was 9 years old at the time, at her home in the summer of 2023, and went on to commit similar offenses on multiple subsequent occasions.

In September 2025, A raped B and used his mobile phone to produce sexual exploitation material. Investigators found that he continued to rape the victim and produce such material on multiple occasions afterward.

"Although the defendant is the victim's uncle by marriage, he exploited the absence of the victim's mother, who had left home to earn a living, to grope and rape the victim — who was between 9 and 12 years old — over an extended period," the court said.

The court added that the crimes "gravely departed from the minimum standards of decency expected of a human being, making the nature and circumstances of the offense extremely grave." It said it was "deeply concerned about the severe psychological trauma inflicted on the victim and her family, and the serious impact the crimes may have on the victim's growth and development."

However, the court said it took into account that A acknowledged wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the victim's side, and had no prior criminal record.


jshan@heraldcorp.com