Woman Who Drove Drunk to Escape Sexual Assault Found Not Guilty... Court Rules It as "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 Criminal Division 1 of the Cheongju District Court's Chungju Branch acquitted a woman, identified as A, who had been 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 at a lodging establishment in Chungju in June of last year.

At the time, A woke up while sleeping at the lodging, realized she was falling victim to 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 about 11 kilometers, parked her car on the road shoulder, and reported the crime to the police.

The court determined that A's actions fell under "emergency evacuation," recognizing that considering the specific circumstances, it was exceptionally justifiable, thereby eliminating the illegality of the act.

"Emergency evacuation" refers to an act unavoidably performed to avert a present danger to the life, body, liberty, or property of oneself or another person.

The court stated, "It appears that there was no one other than A's group at the lodging in question, and the lodging was also located in an isolated area with no pedestrians during the early morning hours." It added, "Under these circumstances, it appears it was impossible for the defendant to escape the quasi-rape scene at the time of the incident by asking someone else for help, calling a taxi or a designated driver, or walking away."

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

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