Court: "The nature of the crime is very serious"
The driver involved in the so-called 'Maserati hit-and-run incident' that caused a fatal drunk driving accident in downtown Gwangju was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
According to Yonhap News on the 13th, Judge Lee Gwangheon of the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 4 sentenced Kim (32), who was indicted on charges including fleeing the scene causing death (under the Special Act), to 10 years in prison. Co-defendant Oh (33), who was also indicted for assisting Kim's escape, was sentenced to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation.
On the morning of October 4th, Kim Mo (33), the Maserati driver involved in a hit-and-run fatal accident, was being transferred to the prosecution at the Seobu Police Station in Seo-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News
Kim was indicted for driving a Maserati passenger car registered under a Seoul-based corporation and hitting a motorcycle ahead of him on a road in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, at around 3:11 a.m. on September 24. As a result of the accident, a female passenger in her 20s, who was in a romantic relationship with the male passenger, died, and the male passenger sustained serious injuries. The male was a delivery worker in the area and was reportedly on his way home with his girlfriend after work when the accident occurred.
The prosecution confirmed that Kim drank at least two bottles of soju three times before driving and applied the Widmark method to charge him with drunk driving. Oh, who assisted Kim's escape, is accused of knowing that Kim fled after causing the fatal accident and providing a burner phone via Telegram to aid his escape.
Judge Lee stated, "Kim caused a drunk driving traffic accident that resulted in the death and serious injury of victims but fled the scene leaving the victims unattended. Also, Oh, to avoid investigation, coerced acquaintances to assist in the escape, showing extremely poor criminal conduct."
The motorcycle driver, who attended the court in a wheelchair to witness the sentencing of Kim, said, "I think 10 years is too light a sentence for the perpetrator to truly repent," and added, "I only feel sorry for my girlfriend who died in the accident."
Meanwhile, the police have additionally sent two accomplices who helped Kim escape to prosecution without detention on charges of aiding a fugitive. Separately from the hit-and-run case, they have also detected signs of Kim's involvement in illegal online gambling and are investigating.
Furthermore, focusing on the fact that the Maserati vehicle was a burner car owned by a specific corporation, the police have identified about 10 other burner cars registered under the same corporation and have booked four people, including the corporate representative, on charges of violating the Automobile Management Act and are conducting an investigation.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
