A defendant recently challenged a 10-year prison term handed down by a local court for the kidnapping and rape of a woman in her 30s, whom he lured with a false advertisement.
The 22-year-old defendant surnamed Ahn appealed last week to the Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court, claiming that his punishment was too harsh. The prosecution did not challenge the ruling, as the court handed a heavier punishment than the seven-year prison term it had requested.
Ahn is believed to have kidnapped the victim in January in Seoul. Then he locked her up in a rented lodging in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, for three days and raped her. He was caught by police while trying to escape in a car with the victim, after an acquaintance suspected foul play and reported him to the police.
The defendant had put up a false advertisement online, saying he was hiring a person to take care of a young girl who was paralyzed from the waist down.
"The defendant's crime is severe and malicious in nature. ... He elaborately planned and prepared the place and tools for the crime in advance," the court said, pointing out that the victim had been subject to severe shock and pain, and that she sought a harsh punishment.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
