"My son 3 years ago..." Woman in her 50s pleads not guilty to child sexual harassment charges

Law: “Even though the incident happened three years ago, it is difficult to understand the overly specific statements.”

A female suspect in her 50s who was accused of touching an elementary school student was found not guilty.

According to the legal community on the 7th, the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Court found Ms. A, a woman in her 50s, not guilty on the 18th of last month on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act (coercing children to commit prostitution, intermediary, and sexual harassment).

Mr. A was sued by B's parents for touching B's lips and patting his buttocks in front of a convenience store near his house in August 2020.

During the subsequent investigation, Mr. A claimed, “As there was no fact of meeting B at the relevant time, the fact that there was physical contact with sexual intent does not establish itself.”

After hearing the claims of both sides, the court found Mr. A not guilty.

The court stated the reason for the sentence, saying, “During the course of the investigation, Mr. B described Mr. A’s facial expressions and facial features in excessive detail, and his statements surrounding his first meeting with Mr. A were different from those at the Sunflower Center and in court.”

In particular, the court said, “This case was reported about three years after the date of occurrence, and we cannot rule out the possibility that the victim's parents assumed that the sexual offender was the defendant after an argument with the defendant. Considering that the incident occurred between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., considering the defendant's work hours, the possibility that they actually encountered each other at that date is also not high.”

Attorney Kim Jong-seo of Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Mr. A, explained, “This case was filed more than three years after the incident, and we could not rule out the possibility that the complaint was made by exaggerating or distorting the facts out of retaliation against the client.” He added, “We were able to obtain a not guilty verdict by accurately explaining the fact that the loan company's real right as collateral was established through the complainant's apartment register and the circumstances of Group B's moving.”

Reporter Seohyun Lee (sunshine@kyeonggi.com)

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"My son three years ago..."Woman in her 50s found not guilty of child sexual harassment (Shortcut)