Supreme Court finalizes 17-year prison term for religious leader over sexual offenses

This image offered by Daejeon District Prosecutors Workplace, reveals Jeong Myeong-seok, left, Feb. 18, 2019. Yonhap

The Supreme Court docket on Thursday finalized a 17-year jail time period for Jeong Myeong-seok, the chief of a controversial non secular group, the Jesus Morning Star (JMS), on costs of raping and sexually molesting his feminine followers.

Jeong, 80, was indicted with bodily detention on costs of raping or sexually assaulting two international followers and one Korean follower on 23 events between February 2018 and September 2021.

He was additionally charged with making false accusations by submitting countercharges in opposition to the 2 international victims.

A district courtroom had sentenced Jeong to 23 years in jail, however an appellate courtroom diminished the time period to 17 years, saying the preliminary ruling would exceed the advice below sentencing tips.

The appellate courtroom on the time acknowledged that the victims have been in a psychological frame of mind that made them unable to withstand the defendant’s sexual acts attributable to non secular brainwashing.

Jeong appealed the choice, however the Supreme Court docket upheld the decrease courtroom’s ruling, citing no errors within the verdict.

The highest courtroom additionally finalized the order for Jeong to put on an digital monitoring bracelet for 15 years and banned him from working at child-related services for 10 years.

In the meantime, Jeong is standing trial on further costs of rape and sexual assault in opposition to different feminine congregants, which might enhance his time in jail if discovered responsible. (Yonhap)