The mother of one of three former medical students imprisoned for sexually harassing a female schoolmate received a jail term herself Wednesday for defaming the victim.
The three, who were expelled from medical school at the prestigious Korea University, were convicted of repeatedly groping a long-time female friend while she was in a deep sleep after drinking alcohol during a trip they took in May of last year. The male students also took pictures of their actions.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down a one-year prison term for the 52-year-old mother, identified only by her surname of Seo, for fabricating documents that claimed the female student has a personality disorder. Seo also circulated the documents to other medical students.
Her son, identified only by his surname of Bae, had an extra year added to his imprisonment on the same charge.
"The two inflicted irrevocable secondary damage to the victim by spreading fabricated information," Judge Lee Sung-ho said in the ruling. "Neither of them have shown remorse for their crime," the judge added, explaining the reason for handing down the prison terms.
The Supreme Court in June confirmed the original one-and-a-half-year term for Bae on the sexual harassment charges. (Yonhap)