Court: "Harmful to Child's Mental Health and Development"
A man in his 30s who threatened his upstairs neighbors with a weapon because he was angry about noise between floors was sentenced to probation.
On the 24th, the Uijeongbu District Court Namyangju Branch Criminal Division 3 (Judge Seong Jaemin) announced that Mr. A (39), who was indicted on charges of special intimidation and assault, was sentenced to 6 months in prison with 2 years of probation. The court also ordered Mr. A to perform 160 hours of community service.
In November 2022, when Mr. A heard noise between floors in the apartment where he lived, he went upstairs. He pushed open the door that Mr. B opened for him, entered the house, and threatened the family with a weapon. At that time, Mr. B’s household included Mr. and Mrs. B in their 70s, their daughter, and a 2-year-old grandson.
Mr. A reportedly argued with Mr. and Mrs. B, then found a weapon in the kitchen and shouted, "I am a paranoid schizophrenic and I will kill you all," threatening them.
A neighbor who heard Mr. A’s shouting came over and persuaded him, and eventually he put down the weapon. The police arrived after a report was made and arrested Mr. A.
During the trial, Mr. A’s side claimed that he raised the weapon to stop Mr. B’s husband from assaulting him and denied the intimidation charges. However, the court rejected this, stating that "the assault by Mr. B’s husband occurred after Mr. A put down the weapon following the neighbor’s persuasion."
The court further explained the sentencing by saying, "Mr. A saw the 2-year-old child when he entered Mr. B’s house. Although the child hid in a room, the commotion caused harm to the child’s mental health and development. The crime caused fear to the victims and the 2-year-old grandson, making the nature of the crime serious, but there are mitigating circumstances such as the circumstances of the offense."
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