Prosecutors Appeal Sentencing in Church Abuse Case of High School Student

Prosecutors have filed an appeal against the first-instance ruling that sentenced a church choir director and two church members to prison for the abuse of a high school student, which resulted in her death. The Incheon District Prosecutors' Office announced on December 11, 2024, that they are contesting the initial court's decision, which found the choir director, A (female, 52), guilty of child abuse resulting in death, sentencing her to 4 years and 6 months in prison. The same sentence was given to church member B (female, 54), while member C (female, 41) received a 4-year sentence. The mother of the deceased student, D (52), was sentenced to 1 year in prison with a 2-year probation for child neglect under the Child Welfare Act.

The first-instance court, which delivered its verdict on December 9, stated that it could not establish intent to kill, thus changing the charges against A and the other two from child abuse resulting in death to child abuse causing death.

Prosecutors argue that the evidence presented in the first trial sufficiently demonstrates the intent to kill by A, B, and C, asserting that they should be charged with child abuse resulting in death. They noted that the three defendants showed no remorse during the investigation and trial, failing to acknowledge their wrongdoing, and therefore deserve a harsher sentence.

Regarding D, the mother of the deceased student, prosecutors emphasized that as the sole guardian, she neglected her daughter, leading to her death, and called for a more severe penalty.

In the previous month, prosecutors had sought life imprisonment for A, 30 years for B and C, and 5 years for D.

From February to May 15, the defendants were accused of abusing E (17), a high school student living at the church choir's dormitory in Namdong-gu, Incheon, to the point of causing her death. Reports indicate that they forced E to transcribe the Bible and made her climb stairs from the basement to the seventh floor without sleep for five days, in addition to physically restraining her.

E collapsed while eating at the church on May 15 and was transported to a hospital by emergency services, but she died four hours later. At the time of her death, her body was covered in bruises, and there were signs of restraint on her wrists.

Following the first-instance ruling, A, B, and C filed an appeal, claiming there was no intent to abuse.