A church pastor indicted over the death of an 11-year-old boy with an intellectual disability, who was chained to a bed at a church in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, admitted to abusing the child at his first hearing.
The First Criminal Division of the Cheonan branch of the Daejeon District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Cho Young-jin, held the first hearing on the 21st for the pastor, identified as A, who is in his 60s, and the boy's maternal grandmother, identified as C, who is in her 50s, according to legal sources. Both were indicted on charges including child abuse resulting in death.
A lawyer for A said the pastor had consistently acknowledged the abuse throughout the investigation. "He admits to essentially all of the parts he remembers," the lawyer said, adding that determining whether he foresaw the possibility of the boy's death would require a comprehensive review. The lawyer said the autopsy results had not yet been confirmed in the case file and that he would state his position by the next hearing.
C's side said she accepted the charges. "But regarding the restraint, there were times when she was away at work, and she was only vaguely aware of the abuse without knowing the specific circumstances," her lawyer said, asking the court to take that into account in sentencing.
The boy, identified as B, was taken to a hospital from a church in Cheonan on Aug. 5 with a fever of 41.5 degrees Celsius and diminished consciousness, and died about three hours later. A and C were sent to trial on charges that they put an adult diaper on the boy, chained him to a bed for 38 hours and left him unattended, leading to his death.
The two also face charges that they became angry after the boy left the church and told police he had been abused around July 26 and 29, and struck his palms and the soles of his feet dozens of times with a wooden stick.
C was found to have slapped the boy in the face four to five times on Aug. 2 for what she considered bad behavior.
According to prosecutors, A became enraged after learning that the boy had asked a police officer to send him to an orphanage. At around 9 a.m. the same day, in the church's worship hall, he rubbed medicated ointment on the boy's body, put tissue in his mouth and slapped him in the face.
Prosecutors also found that D, a member of the same church who is effectively A's adopted son, took part in the assault and restraint in early August.
The court said it would decide how to proceed with the examination of evidence depending on whether A's side accepts or disputes it. The next hearing was set for 2:10 p.m. on Oct. 21.
