Taeil Audaciously Appeals Light 3-Year Sentence For Gang Rape

Taeil (real name Moon Taeil), who was arrested on charges of group sexual assault, has appealed the first trial verdict, and the case will proceed to the appellate court.

Recently, the 26th Criminal Division (D) of the Seoul Central District Court held a sentencing hearing for Taeil and two others on charges of violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (special rape). The court said, “Even if the defendants turn themselves in and admit the crime, by the time they did so, objective evidence had already been collected and their whereabouts identified. Considering all sentencing factors, they are sentenced to 3 years and 6 months imprisonment.” The court also ordered 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs, a 5-year employment ban at child and youth-related institutions, and issued an arrest warrant.

However, the prosecution filed an appeal against this sentence on the 15th. The other two co-defendants also filed appeals. On the 16th, Taeil submitted an appeal through his lawyer, initiating a second round of trial where both prosecution and defense will argue over the sentence.

Previously, SM issued a statement to its Twitter account to announce that Taeil has been implicated in a “criminal case related to sexual crimes.” SM said that after they looked into the situation and realized the severity of the matter, they’ve removed Taeil from NCT and will no longer carry out group activities.

Later, it was reported that Taeil was being investigated for quasi rape along with two other people. SM then announced the termination of his exclusive contract.

After the prosecution demanded the 7-year sentence, Taeil gave his final statement, saying, “First, I deeply regret and apologize for the great harm caused to the victim. I also apologize to everyone who was disappointed and hurt by my actions. If given leniency, I will treat it as my last chance in life and do my best to live properly in society.”

Taeil’s lawyer argues that he takes the case very seriously and is offering sincere apologies to the victim.

When the prosecution described the case and released details of it, there was a considerable public outcry and calls for a harsher sentencing for Taeil. When the first verdict was handed out, there was immense backlash over how light the sentencing was. This made the news of Taeil appealing the verdict even more shocking to netizens.

What do you think of his decision to file an appeal?

Source: (A)