Sentenced to 6 Months Imprisonment with 2 Years Probation in First Trial
Ordered to Perform 80 Hours of Community Service
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A man in his 30s, accused of vomiting in a taxi he was riding, refusing to compensate or pay the fare, and assaulting both the driver and the police, was sentenced to probation in the first trial.
The Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Kang Seongsu) announced on the 30th that it sentenced A (30), who was charged with obstruction of business, injury, and obstruction of official duties, to six months in prison with a two-year probation period and ordered 80 hours of community service.
The court stated, “The defendant committed wrongdoing by vomiting inside the taxi and failed to provide appropriate compensation for it,” adding, “He obstructed the victim’s taxi business, caused injury, and assaulted the police officers who arrived after being called. The defendant must bear responsibility commensurate with these actions.”
However, the court explained the sentencing by saying, “The defendant confessed to the crime and showed deep remorse, has no prior criminal record, and the victim’s injuries appear to be minor.”
A was indicted for obstructing B’s taxi business for 30 minutes during a verbal dispute on the evening of October 29 last year, after taxi driver B charged 150,000 won for car wash fees using A’s credit card. According to the court, A took a taxi from the Songpa District to Mapo District in Seoul on the same day but vomited and did not pay the fare.
Additionally, A is accused of assaulting the victim around 10:50 p.m. that day and, 10 minutes later at the police station, hitting a police officer’s neck while saying phrases to the effect of, “Hey, you bastard, who do you think you are? Let me go.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
