"No Risk of Escape"... Avoided Detention in Court
A man in his 50s, who was caught driving under the influence again while on trial for a previous DUI, was sentenced to imprisonment. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] A man in his 50s with five prior DUI convictions was sentenced to prison for driving under the influence four times within just over a month.
On the 28th, Judge Cha Dong-kyung of the Changwon District Court Criminal Division 6 announced that he sentenced Mr. A (53), who was tried on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (driving under the influence), to 1 year and 2 months in prison. However, the court did not order detention, stating there was no concern that he would destroy evidence or flee.
Mr. A was charged with driving a cargo truck while intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.089% at around 2:10 a.m. on March 26, traveling approximately 600 meters on a road in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, causing a traffic accident, and then driving under the influence again at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.041% at around 5:30 a.m. the same day, about three hours later.
A few days later, on April 1 at around 2:20 a.m., he was caught again after driving about 10 meters to move his cargo truck parked in a public parking lot to another spot while having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.084%, causing another traffic accident.
On May 1 at around 8 a.m., he was caught driving a cargo truck for 1.3 km while intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.087%.
In addition to these four DUI incidents over about a month starting in March, it was found that Mr. A had previously been fined five times for DUI offenses.
The court stated, "The fact that the defendant repeatedly committed DUI offenses four times from March 26 to May 1 shows the severity of the crimes. The incidents on March 26 at around 2:10 a.m. and April 1 directly caused traffic accidents due to drunk driving," and added, "The May 1 offense was committed while the trial for the March DUI charges was ongoing, which significantly increases the blameworthiness of the defendant."
However, the court also noted, "The defendant admitted all wrongdoing and showed sincere remorse, disposed of the cargo truck after the offenses, and has dependents. Considering these various mitigating factors and sentencing elements, the sentence was determined."
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