Man in his 70s summarily indicted on charges of molesting a colleague... Not guilty by formal trial

A man in his 70s who was summarily indicted on charges of forcibly molesting a co-worker was cleared of the charges after requesting a formal trial.

According to the legal community on the 8th, the Seoul Central District Court found Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of forcible harassment, not guilty on the 12th of last month. Mr. A was indicted on charges of touching his body while talking to his co-worker, Mr. B, in May of last year. Mr. B claimed that Mr. A molested him by touching parts of his body several times while urging him to sign documents.

However, Mr. A denied all charges. It was claimed that the security post designated as the location of the molestation was too narrow for two people to enter at the same time, and that the conversation was captured on CCTV.

The prosecution concluded that the charges were acceptable and summarily indicted Mr. A. The court then issued a summary order to impose a fine of 5 million won on Mr. A, but Mr. A objected and requested a formal trial.

The court ruled that Mr. B’s statement was inconsistent and therefore not credible. Mr. B told the police that Mr. A stroked his buttocks, but later claimed in court that he molested him by touching various body parts, including his buttocks.

The court also ruled that even if there is a possibility that Mr. A may have touched a part of his body while requesting Mr. B's signature, the possibility that this was a routine action without the intention of forcible harassment cannot be ruled out, and even considering the transcript and CCTV footage, it cannot be proven that Mr. A had the intention of forcible harassment.

Attorney Kim Jong-seo of Daeryun Law Firm, who is Mr. A's legal representative, said, "In a sex crime case, if the victim's statement is the only evidence, it must be confirmed that the statement is significantly credible or is credible through other circumstantial evidence. In this case, not only was intent proven, but even the fact of harm was not proven, so the person could be acquitted because there was no proof of the crime."

Reporter Jeong Cheol-wook

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A man in his 70s was summarily indicted on charges of molesting a colleague... Not guilty in formal trial (Shortcut)