Court: “Difficult to find signs of remorse.” An 80-year-old who had been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder attempted to kill a fellow inmate after arguing over snoring and received an additional prison sentence.
On the 18th, according to Yonhap News, the Chuncheon Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul High Court (Judge Min Ji-hyeon presiding) dismissed the appeal filed by Mr. A (82), who was indicted for attempted murder and damaging public property, and upheld the original sentence of five years in prison.
Mr. A was brought to trial for attempting to murder Mr. B (60) by repeatedly hitting his face and upper body with a wooden dining table and a tray in the cell of Wonju Prison on the morning of December 6 last year. After dropping the wooden table, Mr. A picked up a tray and attacked until it was completely broken, causing Mr. B to suffer a broken nasal bone and a concussion, requiring about four weeks of medical treatment. It was reported that Mr. A decided to commit the crime after being insulted during an argument over Mr. B’s snoring the previous day.
The first trial court stated, “Despite being imprisoned for murder, committing another attempted murder shows a lack of remorse or apology. In investigative statements, he said things like ‘I would kill the victim’ or ‘I should handle it,’ suggesting he blamed the victim for the incident and appeared tired of prison life—indicating no sign of behavioral improvement or remorse.” The court thus sentenced him to prison.
The appellate court, upon reviewing the case again due to Mr. A’s appeal, ruled, “It is difficult to assess any fundamental changes in the sentencing conditions, and the original sentence falls within the reasonable range of discretion,” thus dismissing the appeal.