A Box Hill businessman abducts and rapes prospective employee in motel

A Box Hill father will spend years behind bars after he abducted a woman and filmed himself raping her while she was drunk and “floppy” in a motel room.

A Box Hill tiler has been sentenced to a lengthy prison stint after he abducted a prospective employee and raped her in a motel room.

Box Hill business owner Bong Kim, 41, was sentenced in the County Court on Friday after being convicted of abducting a woman for a sexual purpose and raping her three times following a seven-day trial in February.

The court heard the woman, 30, had been in Australia on a working holiday for a few weeks when she responded to a job advertisement at Kim’s business through a work website for Koreans.

Kim suggested she meet with him and his employee for dinner to discuss the role and they did so on Saturday, June 20, 2019.

The court heard they met at the restaurant about 6.30pm and CCTV footage showed the group eating and drinking from bottles of Korean liquor.

The court heard by 8pm the victim was “very intoxicated” and “floppy” and Kim, a husband and father, slung the victim over his shoulder and carried her out of the restaurant about 15 minutes later.

Kim and his employee carried her to his car and placed her in the front seat, where she vomited in the console and was then unresponsive.

His employee booked a room at a motel across the street and CCTV footage, captured about 9.15pm, showed Kim carrying the victim into a room. The employee left soon afterwards.

The court heard Kim filmed himself pulling down the victim’s underwear and raping her while she was unconscious about 20 minutes later.

He raped her twice more in the hours afterwards.

The court heard when the victim woke up, lying naked on the bed, she was confused about where she was as she last remembered being in the restaurant.

She needed to be carried to the bathroom to vomit as she couldn’t walk or dress herself.

Just before 1am Kim was captured on CCTV holding the victim up — who was hunched over and swaying — and walking her back to his car before he drove her home.

The court heard Kim admitted the sexual activity to police but insisted it was consensual.

Judge Kevin Doyle condemned the offending and said while he did not believe Kim planned to get the victim intoxicated, he did opportunistically exploit the situation.

“Aware she was unconscious from alcohol you decided to take her from the restaurant, intending to have sex with her,” he said, adding there was some planning afterwards.

“Rape is an intensely personal crime involving the physical invasion of a person and their security.

“You showed complete disregard for the victim’s rights and preyed upon her when the opportunity arose.”

The court heard Kim’s wife, who had experienced deep anguish as a result of the criminal proceedings, had terminated her pregnancy, taken their daughter and returned to Korea following his imprisonment after the jury verdict was returned.

While having lived in Australia for over a decade and a permanent resident, Kim is not a citizen and therefore he could possibly be deported upon release.

Judge Doyle said while Kim had previous good character and no prior criminal record, he needed to be sentenced as a serious sexual offender to protect the community.

He sentenced Kim to eight years and six months in prison with a non parole period of five years and four months.

His 134 days in pre-sentence detention were reckoned as time served.

If you or someone you know needs help call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or the sexual assault crisis line on 1800 806 292