Photo not related to article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo not related to article. [Getty Images Bank]

A child safety volunteer in his 60s who was indicted on charges of molesting a child while pushing the child on a swing has received a suspended prison sentence.

Jeju District Court's Criminal Division 2, presided over by Chief Judge Seo Beom-uk, sentenced the man, identified only as A, to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years, on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes — specifically, forcible indecent acts against a minor under 13. The court also ordered him to undergo probation, complete 80 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures, and be barred from employment at institutions serving children, youth and people with disabilities for 10 years, according to Yonhap.

A was indicted on charges of groping a child's buttocks while pushing the child on a swing in April last year. He acknowledged pushing the swing but denied touching the child's buttocks, arguing that even if his hand had made contact with the child's body, it was incidental contact in the course of pushing the swing and did not constitute indecent conduct.

The court rejected that argument. "Taking together the victim child's testimony and CCTV footage, it can be established that A's hand moved near the child's buttocks in a manner different from ordinary swing-pushing," it said.

The court also noted that A had received training as a child safety volunteer warning that physical contact with children could be subject to criminal punishment, adding that "even a contingent intent to commit indecent acts can be recognized."


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