Former NCT member Taeil, who was removed from the group after his conviction for gang rape, is once again facing a 7-year prison sentence in his appeal trial.
On September 17, the first appeal hearing for Taeil and two other defendants took place at the Seoul High Court.
The three were charged with violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. The prosecution requested the same sentence as in the first trial, asking the court to hand down 7 years in prison.
Through his lawyer, Taeil expressed remorse, saying he was “deeply regretting” his actions and claiming that the victim had accepted his apology.
The lawyer also revealed that Taeil’s acquaintances submitted petitions on his behalf, and pleaded for leniency, stating that Taeil’s mother was forced to quit her job because of the scandal.
Taeil and his two acquaintances were accused of raping a heavily intoxicated woman in June last year. According to the prosecution, the three met the victim around 2:30 a.m. at a bar in Itaewon, then took her in a taxi to a residence in Bangbae-dong.
Investigations found that between 4:00 and 4:30 a.m., the victim, who had lost consciousness due to heavy drinking, was raped. The victim is reported to be a foreigner, and all three men admitted the charges.
In July, the first trial court sentenced Taeil and the others to 3 years and 6 months in prison, along with 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program, plus a 5-year ban from working at child or disability-related institutions.
Taeil, who had been tried without detention, was taken into custody immediately after the verdict. Both the prosecution and the defendants appealed.
During his earlier trial statement on June 18, Taeil said, “I am so sorry to everyone who felt disappointed. If you show leniency, I will take it as the last chance in my life and do my best to live while contributing to society in any way I can.”
Taeil first debuted in 2016 with NCT’s unit NCT U, later promoting with NCT 127. After the incident, SM Entertainment announced his departure from the group, and their exclusive contract officially ended in October last year.
Source: [1]
