Incheon District Court sentenced an unidentified 35-year-old married pastor to three years in prison and the compulsory completion of a 40-hour long sexual violence prevention program for charges of rape.
The pastor is charged for striking and raping a 23-year-old young woman who is a member of his church at an Incheon apartment this past January 4.
It was reported that the woman informed the pastor's wife and her boyfriend of the rape and reported him to the authorities the day following the incident.
The pastor claimed during trial, "I'm romantically involved with the victim and we only had sex after her consent."
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Though the courts were doubtful of the relationship between the pastor and the victim, they reasoned that the victim's confession was consistent enough, stating, "When we examined the evidence gathered, [we found that] the defendant and plaintiff's friendly relationship went beyond that of a simple relationship between a pastor and a church member. However, because the plaintiff's confession is consistent and detailed, we can accept the credibility of her statement."
The courts further added, "We took into consideration that the victim suffered a great amount of embarrassment and mental distress, and [we believe that] when looking at the motive and method of the crime, it is despicable."
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