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Korean courts have decided to suspend a principle of using custody of suspects as a last resort in the case of pedophiles, even for suspected first offenders. The decision comes in the wake of a national outcry over the recent rape and killing of an 11-year-old girl by a convicted pedophile.
Under new guidelines issued last month, courts are called on to be more sparing with arrest warrants, but it seems arrest warrants will become virtually automatic for sex crimes. The Seoul District Court said this is in line with the guidelines since such offenses ¡°shock society, see a higher rate of re-offending and entail a stronger need to protect victims and isolate them from suspects.¡±
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Friends and parents weep as a car carrying the body of an elementary schoolgirl who was raped and killed by a neighbor arrives at her school on Wednesday.
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The Seoul Eastern District Court and Jeonju District Court have decided to arrest juveniles involved in gang rape automatically, and the Seoul Southern District Court will consider sex crimes under the guidelines as cases where ¡°there is a concern that offenders destroy evidence by threatening or inveigling witnesses to change their testimony.¡±
Minister of Gender Equality and Family Jang Ha-jin on Thursday announced proposals to prevent sexual abuse of children and said the ministry, together with the Justice Ministry, will come up with a special law on sex crimes and revise child protection laws. Those accused of sexual abuse of children under 13 will be held in custody while the case is being investigated regardless of the crime¡¯s nature or whether it is a first or repeat offense.
Under the proposed law, convicted pedophiles will be denied a suspended sentence. The year-and-a-day rule for victims to come forward within a year of the crime will be suspended for child sex abuse, and the seven-year statute of limitations will be scrapped. A conviction for a crime involving coercion or force will automatically carry more than five years in prison. Convicted offenders¡¯ details will be disclosed to neighbors on their release. The government also plans to build special treatment and remand centers for sex offenders, as well as centers caring for the victims.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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