60s Man Sentenced to Prison for Forcing 60s Woman into Forest and Extorting 40,000 Won

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Joo-hee] A man in his 40s who was accused of extorting money from a woman in her 60s on a walking trail was sentenced to prison again in the second trial.

The 1st Criminal Division of the Gwangju High Court (Presiding Judge Kim Tae-ho) announced on the 18th that it dismissed both the appeals of Mr. A (46), who was charged with robbery, and the prosecution's appeal.

In the first trial, Mr. A was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to wear an electronic location tracking device for five years.

In the second trial, the court stated, "Considering the various sentencing factors revealed in the records and arguments, the sentence in the first trial cannot be seen as exceeding the reasonable range of discretion."

Previously, the first trial court stated, "Mr. A dragged the victim, whom he met by chance on a walking trail, into the bushes, covered her mouth, strangled her, and then extorted money. Considering the method and circumstances of the crime, the nature of the offense is very serious," adding, "The victim is believed to have suffered significant psychological shock due to Mr. A's crime. In particular, Mr. A has a prior record of similar crimes and has been punished with imprisonment."

Mr. A was charged with threatening and extorting 40,000 won from Mr. B by strangling her neck near the bushes on a walking trail in Gwangju at around 11:55 a.m. on June 21 of last year.

It was investigated that Mr. A covered the mouth of Mr. B, who was walking alone, dragged her into the bushes, and threatened, "If you don't give me money, I will kill you."