Court: "Despite having no choice but to trust and rely on her brother, the crime was committed"
However, "The state of social isolation is not unrelated to the crime"
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A man in his 30s who was charged with starving his intellectually disabled younger sister to death was sentenced to seven years in prison in the first trial.
The Criminal Division 12 of the Seoul Western District Court (Chief Judge Andongbeom) sentenced Kim Mo (36), who was detained and indicted on charges of abuse resulting in death and violation of the Disabled Welfare Act, to seven years in prison on the 29th. Additionally, he was ordered to be banned from employment in institutions related to disabled persons for five years. The prosecution had requested a 10-year prison sentence and a seven-year employment ban for Kim on the 13th.
The court pointed out, "The younger sister was disabled and unable to live normally without someone’s help," and added, "Although she had no choice but to trust and rely solely on the defendant, he inflicted violence and did not feed her, which ultimately led to the victim’s death."
However, the court explained the sentencing by stating, "The social isolation between the victim and the defendant is not unrelated to the crime."
According to the prosecution, Kim is accused of repeatedly starving his younger sister, who lived with him since 2020, because she could not control her bladder and bowels, and causing her death from malnutrition in July.
In the previous trial, Kim admitted all charges but said, "I gradually lost the will to live, and when my sister made mistakes, I increasingly did not want to do anything." It is known that Kim’s biological father left the family when the children were young, and his biological mother has been hospitalized in a nursing hospital for seven years after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.
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