Former NCT member Taeil sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for sexual assault

Former NCT member Taeil has been convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the ex-K-pop idol guilty and two other accomplices on suspicion of aggravated quasi-rape, according to a Yonhap News Agency report. The court also ordered their detention and handed them a mandatory 40-hour sexual violence treatment program.

Taeil did not speak when the judge asked if the defendants had any comments regarding their arrest, as per Soompi.

The K-entertainment site also reported that Taeil and his co-defendants, identified as Lee and Hong, were imposed a five-year employment restriction at institutions with minors.

“The defendants admitted to the crime, and based on the evidence, they are found guilty," the court said, according to a translation by Soompi. The three admitted to the charges of a sexual crime involving a female foreign tourist in a June 18 hearing.

"The victim was in a state of helplessness due to intoxication, and the crime was committed at Mr. Lee’s residence. The foreign tourist is experiencing significant psychological trauma as she was assaulted in an unfamiliar place. However, the court considered the fact that the defendants were first-time offenders and that the victim did not wish to pursue punishment as favorable factors.”