20s Who Caused Drunk Driving Accident and Falsely Accused Vehicle Owner
Court: "Coordinated Stories Made Investigation Difficult... Sentenced to 1 Year 6 Months in Prison"
Two people in their 20s who caused a drunk driving accident in an acquaintance's vehicle, then gave false statements to the investigation agency and later committed perjury in court, were sentenced to prison. The photo shows police conducting a drunk driving crackdown on the afternoon of July 22 in Apgujeong Rodeo Street, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and is not related to any specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Two men in their 20s who caused a drunk driving accident using an acquaintance's vehicle, gave false statements to the investigation authorities, and later committed perjury in court were sentenced to prison.
According to Yonhap News on the 8th, the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judge Shin Gyosik) announced that A (26) and B (28), who were indicted for obstruction of justice and harboring a criminal, were each sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison. B, who was tried without detention, was sentenced to prison and taken into custody in court.
Earlier, on December 16, 2018, at around 3:15 a.m., A was driving a passenger car owned by C while intoxicated on a road in Wonju City, collided with a parked car by the roadside, and fled the scene.
B, known as an acquaintance of A, falsely testified to the police who arrived at the scene immediately after the accident, stating that "C, the vehicle owner, was the driver and was seen getting out of the vehicle." Subsequently, B gave false statements during police investigations in October 2019 and February 2020, as well as during a prosecution investigation in September of the same year.
Eventually, C became the defendant in a road traffic law violation (drunk driving) case and was tried on October 6 last year.
In this trial, A and B also committed perjury. B, who appeared in court as a witness in C's case, perjured himself by stating that C was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. A, who caused the drunk driving accident and fled the scene, also appeared as a witness in C's case and gave false testimony in court.
Then, C was acquitted and cleared of charges due to A's confession admitting to the drunk driving accident. It is known that A confessed to the prosecution before the first trial verdict in C's case was issued. As a result, A was arrested and indicted for obstruction of justice against C, and B, who gave false testimony, was indicted without detention for harboring a criminal and obstruction of justice and faced trial.
The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "It is recognized that B took the lead in coordinating with A to falsely claim that the owner C was driving the accident vehicle. Considering the defendants' false statements and perjury that hindered the discovery of the substantive truth, the gravity of the crime, and the fact that there was no settlement with C, who suffered actual damage, the crime is of a very serious nature."
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