A Drunk Customer Beaten to Death by a Man in His 50s Over a Mistakenly Taken Coat Receives Prison Sentence

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A man in his 50s who assaulted another customer who accidentally took his coat at a bar, resulting in the victim's death, has been sentenced to prison.

On the 17th, the 13th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Jaehyun Shim) announced that it sentenced Mr. A (51), who was tried on charges of injury resulting in death, to four years in prison. Earlier, Mr. A was accused of severely injuring another customer, Mr. B (56), by punching him on the road in front of a bar in Gwangju at around 10:10 p.m. on October 19, 2018. Mr. B ultimately passed away in September last year during treatment.

At the time, Mr. A punched Mr. B once in the face during a scuffle over a coat that Mr. B had taken. Mr. B, who was heavily intoxicated, mistakenly took Mr. A's coat from a nearby table, thinking it was his own. Mr. A followed Mr. B outside and assaulted him because he did not receive an apology.

Mr. B fell from the impact of the assault, hitting his head on a metal door and the ground. He received treatment for two years for traumatic epidural hemorrhage, cerebral contusion, and cognitive impairment before passing away. Throughout the trial, Mr. A claimed, "I did not punch Mr. B in the face causing his death," but the court did not accept his claim based on testimony from Mr. B’s attending physician and witnesses.

The court explained, "It appears Mr. A knew Mr. B was heavily intoxicated, yet he used strong physical force that caused Mr. B to fall stiffly like a dead tree. The ground in front of the bar was asphalt, which could not cushion the impact of a fall. Mr. A left the scene with his group without providing first aid to the unconscious Mr. B." The court also stated, "Mr. A could have foreseen that his assault could cause head injuries to Mr. B. Mr. A’s actions are causally linked to Mr. B’s death."

Furthermore, the court added, "Mr. A lost control of his emotions momentarily and committed violence, resulting in the serious consequence of Mr. B’s death." It continued, "He showed irresponsibility by leaving the scene without providing aid. He denied the crime without sincerely seeking forgiveness or apologizing to the bereaved family." However, the court considered that "the police who responded recommended hospital transfer for Mr. B, but timely treatment was not received," and took these factors into account when determining the sentence.

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