"You Little Brat, Whose Taxes Pay You?"... Octogenarian Habitually Assaults Police Officers While Intoxicated

Chuncheon District Court Sentences Defendant to One Year in Prison

An individual in his 80s who habitually assaulted police officers dispatched after receiving more than three 112 emergency calls this year alone has been sentenced to prison.

According to Yonhap News on November 29, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 Single Judge (Presiding Judge Kim Taekseong) sentenced Mr. A (82), who was indicted on charges of obstruction of official duties, to one year in prison.

In October of this year, in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of assaulting a police officer who responded to a 112 emergency call regarding an intoxicated individual. When the officer asked for his personal information, Mr. A shouted insults such as, "You little brat, whose taxes do you think pay your salary?" He then pushed the officer in the chest, and while wearing a hat, thrust his head toward the officer's face, striking the officer's philtrum with the brim of his hat.

Previously, in June, he was also reported for lying under a street tree and singing while intoxicated. When police officers arrived, he threw a police-issued personal digital assistant (PDA) at an officer's head. At that time, after the police picked up his mobile phone, which was found nearby, and contacted his son-in-law to verify his family contact information, Mr. A was handed the PDA with the suggestion to "try calling your son-in-law." He then immediately committed the assault.

Mr. A also assaulted a police officer a month prior to this incident, in May. According to the indictment, he punched toward a police officer's face after being advised to return home by officers who responded to a report that he had taken a taxi without paying the fare somewhere in Chuncheon.

Presiding Judge Kim stated, "In order to establish the rule of law and eradicate the trend of disregarding public authority, crimes of obstruction of official duties must be strictly punished. Considering the defendant repeatedly assaulted police officers who were dispatched in response to emergency calls, as well as his previous convictions for violent crimes, a severe punishment is inevitable."

Regarding the sentencing, the judge added, "However, it appears that the defendant's current health condition is poor, and this may have partially influenced his actions. Taking into account various circumstances revealed in the case records and arguments, the sentence was determined accordingly."