Law tightened on child sex crimes

Pedophiles are to be denied the benefits of the statute of limitations until their victims reach legal age and may face tougher penalties.

The government, during the Cabinet meeting yesterday, passed the revision bill on the sex crime victim protection law, said officials.

Child sex offenders are to be denied the benefits of the statute of limitations until their victims (under 13 years of age) reach the age of 20, according to the bill.

"Underage victims, due to fear and their limited communication capacities, are often unable to properly testify the circumstances of the crime," said a government official.

"Due to new advanced investigation techniques, investigators may now better collect and preserve the necessary evidence such as the criminal`s DNA records."

As long as the collected evidence is adequately preserved, the case may not be closed until the victimized child reaches maturity, the official said.

Also, those who were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of the crime are to undergo professional medical analysis before being able to use inebriation as a defense and receive a sentence commutation, according to the bill.



The Supreme Court yesterday passed the revision bill of criminal sentence guidelines, which was suggested last December, said court officials.

The revision bill recommends life imprisonment as a maximum sentence for brutal crimes such as child rape and a denial of sentence commutation for those who were drunk at the time of the crime.

The bill also raised the punishment level for those who forced sadistic or extreme sexual acts upon their victims or committed their crimes in special zones such as school areas, house stairways and elevators.

Repeat offenders, too, are to be handed down a heavier penalty, according to the revised guideline.

The Supreme Court last July came up with an initial set of criminal punishment guidelines for child sex offenders but faced public demand for stronger measures, following Cho Doo-soon case.

Cho, who raped and severely disabled an 8-year-old girl in December 2008, was sentenced to 12 years in jail last September. The relatively lenient punishment called for reinforced measures for sex offenders, especially pedophiles.

"Though some are cautious in raising the sentence level, it is the general opinion within the court that child sex offenders are to be more strictly regulated," said a Supreme Court official.

The Supreme Court committee will further discuss the revised guidelines to come up with a final set of standards, said the official.

(tellme@heraldm.com)



By Bae Hyun-jung