◀ anchor ▶
A man in his 20s attempted to sexually assault a woman who was working alone at a restaurant and wielded a blunt weapon at citizens who were trying to stop her.
Police arrested the man, but released the man 9 hours after the arrest because there was no fear of escaping or recidivism, and the residence was far away.
Reporter Lee Yoo-kyung was the sole reporter.
◀ Report ▶
In the early morning of the 1st, a restaurant in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.
A woman in her 50s is cleaning up a restaurant that has been closed, and a man in black comes in.
The man grabbed the resisting woman’s arm and suddenly began to hug her and even strangle her.
[피해자]
“(The perpetrator) strangled his neck and asked him to spare him twice, but the more he strangled, the more no sound came out… I’m dead now…”
The woman, who struggled to resist the man, ran out of the store and asked for help.
Then the man came out with a blunt weapon from the store and swung it, and in the process, two other men who were deterring the crime were injured by the blunt weapon.
In the end, the man was arrested on charges of attempted rape and special injury.
However, the police did not apply for an arrest warrant for the man, and released the man nine hours after arrest.
Usually, if the police arrest a current offender, they can detain him for up to 48 hours, but this is not the case.
[피해자 가족]
“(The police) said, ‘My father came to pick me up, so I’m sure I’ll never come back here because I live far away’…”
It is said that the perpetrator made a statement during the police investigation to the effect that he was intoxicated at the time and that he did not remember it at all.
The police explained the reason for releasing the man, saying that he thought the risk of recidivism and violence was low because he had no criminal record.
[경찰 관계자]
“Since CCTV was secured, we decided that there was no risk of destroying evidence. I know the perpetrators were often warned and told several times not to come here.”
But victims and their families are gripped by the fear that the freed aggressor man might return.
[피해자 가족]
“I’m afraid that the person will come again, and I’m afraid because I don’t know what kind of harm they will do this time.”
The police said they were confirming the allegations against the man and said they were also considering an arrest warrant application.
This is Lee Yoo-kyung from MBC News.
Video coverage Nam Hyun-taek Video editing Nam Joo
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