Facing charges for committing sexual crimes while already under trial for similar offenses, former B.A.P member Himchan has shocked the public by committing a total of three sexual crimes. He directly filed an appeal against the five-year suspended sentence handed down in his first trial.
According to Star News, Himchan, through his legal representative, submitted an appeal on the 8th against the first trial's decision, challenging the charges of rape and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, including filming with a camera and committing obscene acts using telecommunications media.
Following the prosecution's appeal on the 7th, claiming the judgment was unjust, Himchan's appeal has led to both parties appealing, thus moving the case to a second trial.
The Seoul Western District Court's 12th criminal division sentenced Himchan to three years in prison with a five-year suspended sentence on the 1st. The court also ordered Himchan to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program and imposed a three-year employment restriction at institutions related to children, adolescents, and the disabled. The court noted, "Being an idol singer, the influence of his crime is not light," and took into consideration that "the victims no longer wish for the perpetrator's punishment, all illegal recordings have been deleted and not distributed to third parties, and the intensity of the defendant's molestation was relatively low. The defendant's attitude of reflection, along with his age, occupation, health status, and family relations, were considered in determining the sentence."
Himchan has been charged with a total of three sexual crimes, even committing crimes while on trial for molestation. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison in February 2021 for molesting a woman in her 20s at a pension in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, on July 24, 2018, and again received a 10-month prison sentence in the second trial in February 2023. During the second trial for molestation charges, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office additionally charged Himchan with rape, illegal filming, and forced molestation.
In May 2022, Himchan was charged with raping a woman in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, filming the act with a camera, and a month later, in June, sending the victim photos taken during the crime.
Furthermore, on April 17, 2023, Himchan was charged with touching two women at a bar in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, while he was under trial for sexual crime charges.
The prosecution appealed the first trial's sentence to seek a harsher punishment for Mr. Kim, who raped and illegally filmed a fan, citing the use of fan affection in a cunning crime to threaten and assault the victim before raping and illegally filming them. The prosecution considered the extremely poor nature of the crime and the fact that he committed another crime while under trial for a similar offense.
Himchan's appeal is likely to further displease the public. He has submitted a total of 20 letters of reflection during his trial, appealing for leniency. The outcome of Himchan's second trial, which he appealed citing unfair sentencing, is also something to watch.
No articles to show.
