A university student in his twenties, who caused unrest at his school and wasted public resources by posting a fake warning about a stabbing spree as a prank during the university festival, has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.
On December 5, Judge Kim Taekseong of the Chuncheon District Court, Criminal Division 2, announced that he had sentenced Mr. A (21), who was indicted on charges of intimidation and obstruction of justice by fraudulent means, to eight months in prison, suspended for two years.
Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of posting a message on his social networking service (SNS) in the early morning of September 24 last year, stating, "Today, I will stage a stabbing spree at the bar next to Yukju (the 60th Anniversary Hall)," and claiming he would bring several knives and blunt weapons between 8 and 9 p.m.
That afternoon, after receiving a related report, the police deployed personnel and equipment, tracked the internet protocol (IP) address, determined that Mr. A was on campus, and took him into custody for questioning.
At the time, Mr. A did not possess any actual weapons, and no one was injured.
Due to Mr. A's false threat of a stabbing spree, 60 police officers including members of the special police unit, 17 police cars, one police dog, three firefighters, and one 119 emergency vehicle were assigned to unnecessary emergency response work.
Additionally, many students and citizens who visited the festival venue at the time were left feeling anxious.
During the investigation, Mr. A stated that he posted the message "for fun," claiming it was a prank.
Judge Kim pointed out, "The defendant's actions in this case not only caused significant anxiety among the victims, including members of the university community participating in the festival at the time, but also wasted public resources by deploying numerous police officers for patrol activities. The resulting social unrest and its negative consequences are serious, and the defendant's culpability is therefore heavy."
He continued, "However, considering that this is the defendant's first offense, he has no prior criminal record, and it appears he had no intention of carrying out the threat. The defendant also has clear social ties, and his family and acquaintances have pledged to guide him, appealing for leniency. These factors were taken into account in determining the sentence."
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