Deaf South Korean pastor charged in Malaysia with sexual assault

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – A deaf South Korean pastor was charged in a Malaysian courtroom on Friday with sexually assaulting two guys in different incidents courting again to 2013, his law firm stated.

Jee Jong Hoon, 54, who takes advantage of sign language to talk, was billed in a court docket in western Penang state with making use of felony force to outrage the modesty of the adult males, his lawyer Shanmugam Ganesan informed Reuters. The alleged victims have been described by the police as having speech and listening to impairments.

Jee is the newest overseas spiritual determine accused of abusing Christian church congregants in Malaysia. Briton Richard Huckle died in jail very last 12 months just after currently being convicted of concentrating on kids in susceptible communities whilst volunteering at a church in Kuala Lumpur.

Jee was accused of hugging, kissing and groping the adult males, who were being in their 20s, in two different incidents in 2013 and 2017.

He did not enter a plea because he could not realize Malaysian signal language, Shanmugam reported, adding that his client supposed to plead not responsible.

The courtroom established Jan. 18 for the prices to be re-examine to Jee soon after his law firm asked for that the courtroom appoint an global indicator language interpreter.

“He is denying the rates versus him,” Shanmugam reported, without the need of elaborating.

If convicted, Jee could confront up to 10 years in jail, a good or the two.

Shanmugam reported he envisioned further rates to be filed versus his customer.

In a statement on Thursday, Malaysian law enforcement explained six studies experienced been submitted versus a South Korean pastor for allegedly molesting five men aged in between 27 and 40 who had hearing and speech impairments in incidents dating back again to 2011.

Malaysia’s nationwide felony investigations director Huzir Mohamed confirmed on Friday that the statement was referring to Jee.

The pastor, who is married with two young children, arrived in Malaysia in 1998 just after becoming invited to conduct Bible teachings by the founder of an affiliation for the deaf, Huzir explained.