Jeong Myeong-seok is proven in an commercial for the Netflix documentary sequence “Within the Title of God: A Holy Betrayal” (Netflix)
Jeong Myeong-suk, the cult chief who gained international notoriety for sexual offenses documented within the Netflix sequence “Within the Title of God: A Holy Betrayal,” had his jail sentence diminished to 17 years by an appellate courtroom on Wednesday.
Identified to his followers because the “Jesus Morning Star,” Jeong is the chief of the Christian Gospel Mission. He was initially sentenced final December to 23 years in jail for the rape and sexual assault of three feminine believers.
Upholding Jeong’s conviction, the Daejeon Excessive Courtroom acknowledged that the victims have been psychologically unable to withstand Jeong as a consequence of their perception in his claims of being the messiah and “the returned Jesus Christ.” Nonetheless, the courtroom partially accepted Jeong’s argument that the preliminary punishment was extreme.
A promotional picture for the Netflix documentary sequence “Within the Title of God: A Holy Betrayal” (Netflix)
The crimes, as depicted within the Netflix sequence, have been dedicated in opposition to Hong Kong nationwide Maple (29), Australian nationwide Amy (30) and a Korean lady. There have been 23 such offenses dedicated between February 2018 and September 2021.
As a part of his unique sentence that was upheld, Jeong was additionally ordered to put on an digital ankle monitor for 15 years and was banned from working in services for kids, youths and disabled folks for 10 years.
The appellate courtroom concluded that the victims have been mentally sure to Jeong as a consequence of their need for non secular redemption and the assumption they’d be condemned to hell if they didn’t observe him. This conclusion was based mostly on the victims’ letters and diaries.
Because of this, the courtroom dismissed Jeong’s claims that the victims have been of sound thoughts and that they consented to sexual actions.
Nonetheless, the courtroom didn’t settle for proof within the type of a voice recording from the crime scene that performed a big function in securing Jeong’s preliminary conviction.
Whereas it didn’t discover that the recording was manipulated or edited, the courtroom dominated that the unique information, not copies, ought to have been submitted. The unique information reportedly couldn’t be obtained because the victims had discarded the cell phones they used to make the recording.
Concerning the discount of Jeong’s sentence, the courtroom acknowledged that it didn’t discover enough grounds to impose a sentence harsher than the usual for his crimes, which ranges from 4 to 19 1/4 years of imprisonment. Moreover, it stated, the decrease courtroom ought to have thought-about the truth that Jeong will probably face further indictments associated to the various different victims who’ve lately come ahead.
Jeong’s lawyer, who had sought an acquittal, instantly appealed the most recent ruling and requested that the case be referred to the Supreme Courtroom.
In a separate case, prosecutors indicted Jeong in Could on fees of 19 cases of sexual assault in opposition to two feminine followers, allegedly dedicated with the help of his aides.
Jeong accomplished a 10-year jail time period in 2018 for sexually assaulting 4 feminine believers of their 20s between August 2001 and April 2006 in Malaysia, Hong Kong and China.