A 10-year prison sentence has been finalized for an investigator at an organization for the protection of the rights of people with disabilities who was charged with sexually assaulting teenage students with intellectual disabilities.
The Supreme Court's First Division (Justice Seo Gyeong-hwan presiding) upheld the lower court's ruling last month, which sentenced the defendant, a man in his 50s identified as A, to 10 years in prison for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (rape of a person with a disability under protection).
A, who worked as an investigator for a disability rights advocacy organization in Jeju, was indicted on charges of sexually abusing and molesting two teenage girls with intellectual disabilities, including a student identified as B, and B's younger sister multiple times between July 2024 and February 2025. The incidents occurred in various locations, including counseling rooms, storage rooms, and during home visits.
A was also charged with raping student B in the backseat of a company vehicle in February 2025.
The first trial court found A guilty, sentencing him to 10 years in prison. The court also ordered him to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs and 40 hours of child abuse treatment programs, and imposed a 10-year ban on his employment at institutions related to children and adolescents.
Although A denied some of the charges, the first trial court rejected his claims, stating that there was no reason to believe the victims had provided false testimony and that there were factors supporting the credibility of their statements.
The first trial court criticized the defendant, stating, "Despite being in a position where he was supposed to protect the victims as an employee of a facility for people with disabilities, the defendant exploited the fact that the victims had weak abilities to protect or defend themselves to commit sexual crimes. His culpability is grave, and a stern punishment is inevitable."
A appealed the decision, but both the second trial court and the Supreme Court found no errors in the judgment and dismissed his appeal.
(Photo: Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)