[Herald DB]
[Herald DB]

A man in his 30s who sexually assaulted his mother-in-law and teenage sister-in-law on separate occasions has had his appeal rejected and his original five-year prison sentence upheld.

The First Criminal Division of the Daejeon High Court's Cheongju bench, presided over by Chief Judge Kim Jin-seok, dismissed the appeal filed by the defendant, identified only as A, and confirmed the five-year sentence handed down at trial. A had been indicted in detention on charges including forced indecent assault of a person with a disability by a relative under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, and forced indecent assault under the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth from Sexual Abuse.

"The defendant committed indecent acts against victims with whom he had a family relationship, and also targeted his sister-in-law, who is a minor with an intellectual disability," the court said in explaining its decision to dismiss the appeal. "Even taking into account that he is showing remorse, the original sentence cannot be considered excessive."

A faces charges of groping his sister-in-law, identified as B, while she slept in the living room of a residence in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in November 2023. When B woke up while lying between A and his wife, A covered her mouth and threatened her, saying "You'll be in trouble if you say anything," before continuing the assault.

He also faces charges of groping his mother-in-law, a woman in her 40s identified as C, while she slept at a motel in Sejong in September 2023.

That night, A had planned to meet his wife at the motel with C, but his wife was unable to come due to an unexpected matter. A drank alcohol with C at the motel and committed the assault after C fell asleep.

The police investigation began after B disclosed the assault to staff at a care facility, at which point C also came forward and gave her own account of what had happened to her.

A had flatly denied groping either B or C during the first trial, but after receiving the heavy sentence, he admitted to the offenses and submitted a letter of remorse.


choigo@heraldcorp.com