"Only 3 Years in Prison?" Controversy Over 'Light Punishment' for Man Brutally Beating Woman with Brick

"Feeling Bad," 40s Office Worker Follows Woman into Restroom and Commits 'Random' Brick Assault
Has Three Past Violent Convictions
Civilians Say "Attempted Murder but Only 3 Years," "Punishment Is Too Light"

A man in his 40s who chased a teenage girl he did not know and tried to kill her by hitting her head with a brick was sentenced to prison. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A man in his 40s who chased down a teenage girl he had never met and struck her head with a brick has been sentenced to prison. The man reportedly followed the victim into the women's restroom due to feeling upset over work-related issues and repeatedly hit her head with a brick. This man had committed similar crimes in the past, which has further fueled public outrage.

Some voices have criticized the court's lenient punishment. Citizens expressed anger, pointing out that since the perpetrator committed a 'random attack' targeting women, the method of the crime was malicious and the punishment should be increased.

On the 8th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Bucheon Branch of Incheon District Court sentenced company employee A (44) to three years in prison on charges of attempted murder.

A was prosecuted for hitting B (19) five times on the head with a brick in the women's restroom on the 4th floor of a building in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, around 1 a.m. on September 16 last year. Investigations revealed that he first saw B on the street that day and then chased her to commit the crime.

At the time of the incident, B screamed for help, and a PC room employee who heard her rushed over and stopped A's attack. It was understood that A, feeling unfairly treated at work and facing a job change, became angry and planned a random attack targeting an unspecified woman.

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, it was revealed that A had been punished three times in the past for violent crimes, which has caused even greater public outrage. In 1997, he was sentenced to one year and six months in prison with a three-year probation for hitting a victim's head with a brick, causing a skull fracture.

During the trial, A claimed, "It is true that I injured B with a brick, but I had no intent to kill." The court stated, "The defendant denied intent to kill and made unconvincing claims without showing sincere remorse," but also explained the sentencing by considering "the fact that the crime was only attempted murder."

Citizens have raised criticism against the court's ruling. They argue that since A committed a planned crime targeting women who seemed physically weaker than him, the punishment should be harsher. In particular, there is strong criticism over the fact that A, despite having a history of three prior assault convictions, was sentenced to only three years in prison.

Office worker Kim (28) said, "It makes no sense to sentence only three years when there is a history of similar crimes. This encourages crime. It is no different from attempted murder, yet the sentence is just three years. The fact that he planned a random attack targeting women physically weaker than men is itself malicious," raising his voice.

Citizens also argue that since such crimes cause anxiety among women, the punishment should be further strengthened.

University student Jung (25) said, "Crimes against the vulnerable must be severely punished," adding, "One reason for repeat offenses is weak punishment. If strong punishment had been imposed from the start, incidents targeting women would have been less frequent."

Another office worker Kim (29) also said, "A significant number of random attack victims are women," and added, "Do you know how many random attacks escalate to murder? I hope the court considers the victims' perspective more carefully when making rulings."

This is not the first time the court's lenient punishment has sparked controversy. Last year, a man in his 20s who followed a woman he did not know to her home and rang the doorbell was sentenced to five months in prison in the first trial, causing public outrage.

The man was charged with trespassing after following a woman he met at Exit 2 of Suseo Station on March 17 last year and ringing her doorbell. Investigations revealed that he had previously been sentenced to four months in prison with a two-year probation for trespassing and was still under probation at the time of the offense.

Meanwhile, a current police officer who was prosecuted last year for molesting a woman he followed to her doorstep was sentenced to three years in prison with a five-year probation in the second trial. At that time, there was also public criticism that the punishment was too lenient.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.