This Disgraced Idol Who Avoided Prison Sentence Despite Multiple Sexual Crimes Just Filed For An Appeal Over His Suspended Sentence

Former B.A.P member Himchan (Kim Himchan, 34), who was sentenced to a suspended sentence for sexual assault charges, has appealed the decision.

According to Star News on the 13^th of February, Himchan submitted an appeal after receiving a 5-year suspended sentence for charges including rape and violation of the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence (filming with a camera, engaging in lewd acts through communication media).

On the day of the sentencing trial on the 1st, Himchan was sentenced to 3 years in prison and a 5-year suspended sentence. Despite committing the same crime while undergoing trial, Himchan admitted to all of his crimes, and the judge, taking into account the fact that Himchan and the victims reached an agreement and the victims did not want his punishment, handed down a suspended sentence, breaking expectations.

However, Himchan has also appealed the 5-year suspended sentence, which had received criticism for being too lenient.

The prosecution also appealed, stating that they sought a harsher punishment for Himchan, who raped a fan and illegally filmed her, stating that he used his popularity to commit cunning crimes, sexually assaulted and threatened the victim, and engaged in illegal filming after committing the crime while undergoing trial for the same crime. The appeal was filed on the 7th, and as a result, the case will proceed to the second trial due to the appeals from both sides.

Himchan is accused of sexually assaulting a victim who brought him home in May 2022 and filming her without consent, and in June of the same year, he is accused of sending explicit material during the process of contacting the victim. At the time, Himchan was undergoing the second trial for a previous sexual assault case.

Himchan was first brought to trial in July 2018 for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s at a pension in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. Himchan was sentenced to actual imprisonment in the first trial for the first sexual assault charge and was incarcerated.

Afterwards, in April 2022, it was revealed that Himchan sexually assaulted two women while intoxicated at a restaurant in Yongsan, and in the same year, in May, he was additionally indicted for a sexual assault crime.

Himchan served his sentence for the first sexual assault charge and was released from prison in December last year after serving a 10-month prison term. However, he was arrested again for the additional sexual assault charges and brought to trial.

Source: (A)