[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A son who assaulted his father to death, harboring resentment over being forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the past, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Supreme Court.
On the 22nd, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Cheon Daeyeop) announced that it upheld the 10-year prison sentence in the appeal trial of A (44), who was charged with killing a direct ascendant. The court also ordered the attachment of an electronic monitoring device (electronic anklet) for 10 years and a treatment detention order.
Earlier, A was prosecuted for assaulting his father B (74) to death with bicycle parts at his home in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, in April last year.
It was revealed that A had previously assaulted his father and older brother. He claimed that being forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital prevented him from working properly and that his life was ruined because he was not given a share of his mother’s inheritance.
The first trial sentenced A to 10 years in prison and also ordered the attachment of an electronic anklet and treatment detention for 10 years. At that time, the court stated, "The defendant killed his biological father who gave birth to him and cared for him closely even when other family members avoided him. This is an atrocious and antisocial crime that severs the bonds of filial piety and is far worse than ordinary murder."
It added, "The defendant’s belief that his family forcibly confined him in a psychiatric hospital is a delusion, and there is no circumstance that can be blamed on the father."
However, the court also noted, "Considering that the defendant had long suffered from mental health difficulties and lacked normal judgment, and that problematic behavior significantly decreased during past medication treatment, simply increasing the sentence to punish the defendant severely is not necessarily the best approach, so treatment detention is also ordered."
Treatment detention refers to a disposition that confines criminals recognized as having mental disabilities or states of drug, alcohol, or substance addiction in treatment detention facilities to prevent recidivism and promote social reintegration.
The appellate court and the Supreme Court also agreed with this judgment.
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