Set Four Fires On and Around University Campus Within Two Hours
Apprehended While Attempting to Flee to China the Next Day
A Chinese exchange student who set a series of fires at multiple locations on and around his university campus and then attempted to flee the country has been sentenced to prison.
According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on May 6, the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 1 Single Judge (Presiding Judge Eo Jaewon) sentenced a Chinese national man in his 20s, identified as A, to one year and six months in prison on charges of arson of property.
A, who came to a university in Ulsan as an exchange student, took bedding and notebooks from his dormitory in mid-February and set them on fire by placing them in a cylindrical ashtray inside a smoking booth on campus. Despite staff and other students extinguishing the fire in alarm, A returned to his dormitory room, brought out additional trash and notebooks, and within about two hours, set fires at four locations including a campus road and a nearby wooded hill. Due to A's arson, approximately 50 square meters of woodland near university buildings were burned.
A attempted to flee to China the day after the crime but was apprehended by police. During the investigation and trial, he denied most of the charges. A claimed, "It is true that I burned items in the smoking booth, but I did not commit arson near the school buildings." However, the court did not accept his claim, citing the fact that fires broke out consecutively along the route A had taken and that his name was written on a notebook found burned at the scene.
The court stated, "The defendant bears significant culpability, as he took no action even after witnessing students and staff extinguishing the fire in the smoking booth, and instead returned to his residence to bring more items and commit arson again." The court further explained, "He attempted to flee to China the day after the arson and shamelessly denied part of his crimes, necessitating a severe punishment." Regarding the sentencing, the court noted, "However, the fire was quickly extinguished, preventing major damage; there were no casualties; the defendant appears to be in poor mental health; and he has no prior criminal record. These factors were taken into consideration."
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