'Molar' father's death sentence reduced to life in appeals court trial

By Lim Chang-won Posted : September 6, 2018, 16:56 Updated : September 6, 2018, 16:56

[Yonhap Photo]


SEOUL -- An appeals court sentenced an impotent man to life, reducing his death sentence, for strangling a school friend of his teenage daughter after drugging her to sleep for molestation with sex toys to satisfy his sexual desire.

In February, a district court in Seoul sentenced Lee Young-hak, 36, to death for his brutal and perverted crime. On Thursday, the High Court agreed Lee should get strict punishment but reduced his sentence to life, along with a sexual abuse treatment program for 200 hours.

Lee was found guilty of killing a 14-year-old girl in September last year at his home in Seoul. He confessed to using sleeping pills for his sexual molestation, strangling the ill-fated girl in an attempt to cover up his crime, and dumping her body in a mountain.

The man was also accused of mediating the prostitution of his wife with ten men for three months last year and taping their sexual relations. The wife committed suicide later.

Lee, who lost all but one molar because of a rare dental disease, earned the nickname the "molar father" after appearing on a TV show that sparked a social campaign to donate 940 million won ($839,285) to his family. He had led a luxurious life with donations and government allowances.

 
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