Woman Who Drove Drunk to Escape Sexual Assault Found Not Guilty... Court Rules It 'Emergency Evacuation'

A court has ruled that a woman who inevitably drove under the influence to escape a sexual assault crisis cannot be held criminally liable.

The Cheongju District Court's Chungju Branch Criminal Division 1 has acquitted a woman, identified as A, who was indicted on charges of drunk driving.

A was put on trial on charges of driving about 10 kilometers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.094 percent from a motel in Chungju in June of last year.

At the time, A woke up while sleeping at the accommodation, realized she was becoming a victim of quasi-rape, gathered her clothes and belongings, hurriedly escaped the room, and got into her car.

When the male perpetrator chased after her, A drove her car for about 11 kilometers before pulling over to the shoulder of the road and reporting the victimization to the police.

The court determined that A's actions fell under 'emergency evacuation,' ruling that considering the specific circumstances, her actions were exceptionally recognized as justified, thereby negating their illegality.

'Emergency evacuation' refers to an act unavoidably committed to avoid a present danger to oneself or another person's life, physical body, liberty, or property.

The court stated, "It appears that there was no one other than A's group at the accommodation in question, and the accommodation was also located in a remote area with no people around in the early morning hours." It added, "Under these circumstances, it seems impossible for the defendant to have escaped the scene of the quasi-rape crime by asking others for help, calling a taxi or designated driver, or walking away at the time of the incident."

The male perpetrator of the sexual assault was recently sentenced to three years in prison for the crime of quasi-rape.

(Reported by Lee Ho-geon | Video by Na Hong-hee | Design by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.