'Subway Passenger Slipper Assault' Man in His 50s Sentenced to 1 Year and 8 Months in First Trial

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A man in his 50s who was charged with assaulting passengers who asked him to wear a mask on the subway was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

Judge Lee Sang-hoon of the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 11 sentenced defendant A, who was charged with assault and other offenses, to 1 year and 8 months in prison on the 22nd.

The court stated, "Despite the fact that wearing masks is essential due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the defendant did not wear one and loudly disturbed others on the subway before assaulting passengers. However, considering that the defendant’s mental illness appeared to have influenced the crime."

Defendant A was arrested and indicted in September last year on charges of assaulting two passengers who asked him to wear a mask on a train passing near Dangsan Station on Seoul Subway Line 2. At the time, he strangled the victims’ necks and struck their faces with slippers he was wearing, causing a disturbance until police arrived and arrested him on the spot.

At the first trial, defendant A pleaded for leniency, stating that he was undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder, known as manic-depressive illness.