THIS idol made netizens furious after he was still able to avoid prison sentence, and was given a 5-year probation instead.
On February 2, former B.A.P. Kim Himchan received his final sentence after a third sexual offense trial.
In May 2022, he sexually assaulted a woman after inviting her to his home and secretly filmed her while doing it. He threatened the woman by sending the private video in June of the same year.
However, this was not his first offense, but actually the third.
In April 2022, he was caught molesting two women while drunk. In 2023, he was then imprisoned for 10 months after forced sexual assault against a young woman in her 20s at a pension in 2018.
But amid trial, he committed another assault, three sexual offenses in total, leading another trial to be opened in January.
Former B.A.P Himchan Receives 5-Year Suspended Sentence
Based on the Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Court (presiding judge Kwon Sung Soo) Kim Himchan was sentenced to 3 years in prison with 5 years in probation for charges of rape & violations of the Act on Punishment of Sexual Crimes (filming or engaging in obscene acts using cameras or communication media).
On top of that, he will be banned from working for three years at institutions near children, youth, and disabled individuals, along with 40-hour lectures on sexual violence treatment.
The presiding judge also gave a special order to Himchan and suggested a specific amount of alcohol to only consume, "Do not drink alcohol above 0.05% level." Thus, Himchan can only drink two and a half glasses of soju or 500cc of beer one hour later.
ALSO READ : Ex-BAP Member Himchan On Trial for 'Disturbing' Offenses— Dark Secrets Laid Bare In Courtroom
The court also explained the reason for giving Himchan a suspended sentence, saying:
"The defendant is an idol, so the impact of the crime is not light. But please note that the victims no longer want the victim to be punished.
Please note that all illegal videos are deleted and not distributed to third parties and that the intensity of the accused's forced harassment is relatively low.
The defendant shows a specific attitude of self-reflection, and the sentence is decided in consideration of the defendant's age, occupation, health condition, and family relationship."
Himchan admitted "yes" to the first trial, and since he avoided a seven-year prison sentence sought by the prosecution, he is unlikely to appeal.
Amid probation, Himchan is likely to serve in the military as a social service worker.
Koreans Unhappy With Himchan's Sentence
Following the news, K-pop enthusiasts and internet users were infuriated knowing that Kim Himchan only got a probation sentence despite sexually assaulting a total of four women in three different cases, not to mention that he illegally filmed one of them.
Internet users questioned how he was able to get away with it and criticized the judge's reason, saying:
- "Let AI replace judges, too. Does it make sense to give this kind of guy just a probation?"
- "People who took drugs and hurt themselves were taken to jail, not rehabilitation, but this sex offender can get away with just a probation?"
- "I thought he was finally getting long jail time after his third offense, but it's not even imprisonment but only probation?"
- "How much did he pay the judge?"
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Written by Eunice Dawson.
