[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Resident Sim Mo, who was accused of repeatedly assaulting and verbally abusing the late apartment security guard Choi Heeseok, was sentenced to 5 years in prison again in the second trial.
On the 26th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-3 (Presiding Judges Jo Eunrae, Kim Yongha, and Jeong Chongryeong) sentenced Sim to 5 years in prison in the appeal trial for charges including injury, the same as the first trial. In the appeal trial closing arguments held last month, the prosecution had demanded a 9-year sentence.
Sim was arrested and indicted on charges of repeatedly assaulting and threatening Choi, who was a security guard at the apartment in Gangbuk, Seoul, where Sim resided, between April and May of last year. In particular, Sim assaulted Choi for pushing his private car by hand, and later confined Choi in the security guard's restroom while beating and threatening him, pressuring him to resign.
Choi suffered extreme psychological distress and left a will stating that he had been assaulted and threatened by Sim before making an extreme choice in May of last year.
On this day, the court stated, "It is difficult to see the 5-year prison sentence set by the original trial as excessively heavy or light."
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