Man gets reduced sentence for hitting and raping wife

A man previously sentenced to seven years in jail for sexually assaulting his wife received a reduced term in an appellate court. He has since divorced his wife.

The Gwangju High Court sentenced the man to four years in prison along with 80 hours of sexual abuse education, 10 years of wearing a tracking device and five years of disclosing his personal information to the public.

The man in his 50s was indicted in June 2016 for hitting his ex-wife’s head during a meal and then committing rape. They were married at the time. The man also threatened the woman, saying he would throw her out the window before committing sexual assault.

Although he claimed that the intercourse was consensual, his ex-wife said that she could not resist, as she was afraid of getting beaten.

The court said in its sentence that it is a crime when sexual intercourse is accompanied by severe violence or threats “enough to make resistance impossible,” even in marital relationships.

In the verdict, judges said that they took into account that the man regrets his actions and that he had settled the matter with his ex-wife and given “substantial compensation.”

By Cho Yun-myung (yunc39@heraldcorp.com)