"I Was Walking While Looking at My Phone"—Man Who Entered a Gym's Women's Locker Room Cleared of Charges

Entered a women's locker room, suspected of 'intrusion into a multi-use place for a sexual purpose'…denied intent and reported himself
Police: "CCTV shows a 10-second stay, a time in which achieving a sexual purpose is impossible…intent not proven"

A man who entered a gym's women's locker room received a finding of no charge as a result of a police investigation.

The Seoul Gangseo Police Station made a decision not to refer the case, on the 7th of last month, regarding A, a man in his 20s suspected of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (intrusion into a multi-use place for a sexual purpose).

A was suspected of entering the women's locker room with a sexual purpose at a gym he used earlier this year. At the time, women he encountered near the locker room and a gym employee pressed him on it, but A strongly denied the charge and, to prove his innocence, reported himself to the police.

In the police investigation, A argued that he had been walking while looking at his phone and could not see properly ahead, so he mistakenly stepped up to the door. He emphasized that he had no intent, saying that he immediately realized he had entered the wrong place and turned around and came out right away.

Police judged that A was not guilty. Police said, "As a result of analyzing the CCTV, the time the suspect entered toward the women's locker room was within about 10 seconds," adding, "It is a physically impossible amount of time to enter with a sexual purpose."

They added, "Looking at the suspect's messenger usage records, it was confirmed that he was having a conversation during that time slot," and "the suspect's claim that he entered by mistake is natural."

Attorney Choi Dong-wook of Daeryun LLC (law firm), who represented A, explained, "For the crime of intrusion into a multi-use place for a sexual purpose to lead to punishment, beyond the act of entering, the purpose of satisfying sexual desire and intent must be strictly recognized," adding, "In a situation where he was nearly unfairly branded a sex offender, we were able to prove the absence of charges based on objective evidence such as CCTV and messenger records."

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"I Was Walking While Looking at My Phone"—Man Who Entered a Gym's Women's Locker Room Cleared of Charges (Go to Article)