Teenager Who Assaulted Mask-Wearing Requester and Seized Taxi Sentenced to 3 Years and 6 Months in Prison

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] A teenager who violently assaulted a taxi driver for asking him to wear a mask, then took the car and caused an unlicensed drunk driving accident, has been sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 15th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Daejeon High Court recently dismissed the appeal of Mr. A, who claimed he was in a state of diminished mental capacity due to intoxication. Earlier, the first trial court, Criminal Division 1 of the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court, sentenced Mr. A to 3 years and 6 months in prison last November on charges including robbery and injury, and violation of the Road Traffic Act, after he stole about 30,000 won in coins from inside the taxi.

Mr. A, who was 18 years old at the time, boarded the back seat of a taxi on a road in Asan-si, Chungnam Province, at around 4:40 a.m. on August 25 last year while intoxicated. When the driver asked him to wear a mask, he refused. The taxi driver got out of the car, opened the back door, demanded that Mr. A get off, and called 112. Enraged, Mr. A struck the driver with his fist. He then took the taxi and drove about 1.5 km before causing an accident. His blood alcohol concentration at the time was 0.200%.

The appellate court stated, "It does not appear that he drank excessively beyond his usual capacity that day, nor were there signs of severe intoxication such as unsteady walking," and dismissed the claim, saying, "It is judged that he voluntarily caused such a state despite foreseeing the risk."

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