Man in His 20s Sedates and Sexually Abuses a 4-year-old Girl

‘Let’s go see a cat,’ lured to his house and committed the crime.
Appeal court ‘Considered intellectual disability’
Reduced the sentence to 8 years of imprisonment

Stock photo of a cat. / Pixabay

A man in his twenties was given a reduced sentence on appeal after he lured a 4-year-old girl he had never met, drugged her, and committed a bizarre act of pseudo-sexual abuse.

According to Seoul Economy on the 22nd, the Daegu High Court Criminal Division 1 (Chief Judge Jin Sung-chul) recently overturned the original sentence. It sentenced Mr. A (27), arrested and charged with violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc., of Specific Crimes (kidnapping and intoxication of a person under 13), to 8 years in prison.

Mr. A went to the church he usually attended on December 4th last year. When he found no girls there, he went to another church. He approached a girl, B (4), who was separated from her guardian, lured her by saying, “There is a sick cat in my car,” and took her to his house. He then made her drink strawberry milk mixed with a hypnotic sedative, and was brought to trial on charges of sexual abuse.

The investigation revealed that Mr. A had sexual desires toward young girls at his church and decided to commit a crime by injecting his semen into a child with a syringe and preparing the tools himself.

 

During the trial, Mr. A claimed he had autism spectrum disorder and depression-induced mental weakness, but the first trial court did not accept this.

The first trial court stated, “He lured B, who is only 4 years old, made her drink a hypnotic sedative that should not be taken, and committed a bizarre and shocking crime using a syringe,” and “B and her family will have to live in fear that a similar crime may occur wherever they go. Thus a severe punishment is necessary,” and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Mr. A appealed on the grounds of unfair sentencing and mental weakness.

The second trial court explained the reason for the reduction, stating, “Although Mr. A was not mentally deficient to the extent of mental weakness at the time of the crime, it is recognized that his responsibility is less than that of an average adult, and it cannot be ruled out that he can correct his distorted sexual concept through acknowledgment of his wrongdoing and reflection.”