Court sentences man to jail for raping niece

A Jeonju court on Thursday sentenced a man in his 50s to a 7-year prison term and small fine for raping his niece following months of habitual sexual harassment.

The man was ordered to serve the 7-year prison term, pay a fine of 300,000 won ($280) and undergo 80 hours of sex offender treatment.

The 52-year-old man, who is considered a level-three intellectually disabled person, was initially indicted on the charge of sexual harassment in 2010. He reportedly made abusive sexual requests to his two nieces, who were seven and six years old at the time, when the victims’ mother and father both went to work. 

The sexual harassment escalated to violence in 2016 when the man allegedly used a sleeping pill to sexually assault his older niece on two occasions.

The victim claimed that her uncle threatened her life and safety if she uttered a word to her mother.

Aside from the sexual assault charge, the man had been under criminal scrutiny on six additional charges, such as theft and driving a motorcycle without a license. His case was sent to the prosecutors’ office in May 2017.

By Catherine Chung (cec82@heraldcorp.com)