Court: "Difficult to find signs of remorse"
An octogenarian serving a life sentence for murder was additionally sentenced to prison after attempting to kill a fellow inmate following an argument over the inmate's snoring.
According to Yonhap News on the 18th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Chuncheon Branch of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Min Ji-hyun) dismissed the appeal filed by Mr. A (82), who was charged with attempted murder and damage to public property, and upheld the original sentence of five years in prison.
Mr. A was tried for attempting to kill Mr. B (60) by repeatedly striking his face and upper body with a wooden dining table and a food tray in a cell at Wonju Prison in the early morning of December 6 last year. When Mr. A missed while striking with the wooden dining table, he picked up the food tray and assaulted Mr. B to the extent that the tray was completely broken. Mr. B suffered injuries requiring about four weeks of treatment, including a broken nasal bone and a concussion diagnosis. It is known that Mr. A decided to commit the crime after an argument over Mr. B’s snoring the previous day and being insulted.
The first trial court stated, "Despite committing attempted murder again while serving a sentence for murder, rather than showing remorse or regret, the defendant made statements to the investigative agency such as 'I will kill the victim' or 'I have to deal with him,' showing an attitude that blames the victim for the crime or expresses boredom with prison life. Considering this, it is difficult to find any intention to improve behavior or signs of remorse," and imposed a prison sentence.
The second trial court, which reviewed the case following Mr. A’s appeal, dismissed it, stating, "It is difficult to assess that there has been a fundamental change in sentencing conditions at the appellate stage, and the original sentencing was made within a reasonable range of discretion and is appropriate."
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