17-year-old who died at church was subject to severe abuse: document

(123rf)

A high school girl who recently died at a church had been subjected to severe abuse by church members including sleep deprivation and physical labor, a bill of indictment provided by the South Korean prosecution showed.

Rep. Yoo Sang-bum of the ruling People Power Party on Wednesday revealed the content of the document he received from the prosecutors, which showed details of their investigation related to the girl's death on May 15.

Three members of the Incheon church are currently on trial for child abuse resulting in death, with the victim's mother also indicted for negligence of a child. The victim had been living at the church for three months leading up to her death.

The child was suffering from bipolar disorder, but the mother consulted the church and decided to entrust her daughter to the choir team. Two members of the choir -- one of whom was an acquaintance of the mother -- directly abused the girl and reported to the choir leader, who told them to "break her will if she makes a ruckus or does not follow the scripture."

The victim was forced to copy Bible verses while having not slept for five days, and was instructed to climb up and down the stairs of the church building for an hour. The suspects ignored the victim's pleas to be sent to a mental institution and kept her in the church, restraining her when she showed symptoms of her illness.

When police officers found her body after her death, both her hands were bound and her body was covered with bruises.

It is believed that the choir leader had consented to the brutality, as after receiving the reports she instructed the two: "Don't relax and don't back down" and "you should chastise her severely." The choir leader did not provide any medical care even after learning that the victim lost her bladder and bowel control on May 4, and had not been able to directly consume food since May 6.

Instead, the abusers had searched online with the terms "weak spots in the body," "restraints used by hospitals during seizures" and "lashes at mental institutes," and had actually purchased restraints designed for patients with severe dementia.

The woman believed to be responsible for most of the abuse has denied the charges, while the other suspects deny criminal intent.

The next court hearing for the three will be held at the Incheon District Court on Aug.12.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)