A Man in His 20s Who Locked His Ex-Girlfriend in a Car and Strangled Her Receives Reduced Sentence in Appeal Trial

Court: "Offender expressed remorse... Deemed giving one chance more appropriate for rehabilitation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] A man in his 20s who was sentenced to prison for locking up his ex-girlfriend in a car and strangling her to threaten her was released on probation in the appeal trial.

On the 17th, the Criminal Division 3 of the Daejeon High Court (Presiding Judge Jeong Jae-o) overturned the original sentence and sentenced A (24), who was indicted on charges including confinement and injury and received a one-year prison sentence in the first trial, to one year in prison with a two-year probation.

Around October last year, A visited B’s company in Dong-gu, Daejeon, whom he had broken up with about a year earlier, and put B, who was leaving work, into his car.

While driving for a while, when B demanded to be let out, A was investigated to have cursed and strangled her with both hands until she lost consciousness. After B regained consciousness, A reportedly threatened her by saying, "I will kill your parents and commit suicide."

A then spotted a passerby beside the car and chased after B, who ran barefoot shouting "Help me," grabbing her by the hair and injuring her, and confined her in the car for 28 minutes.

It was also revealed that from July to November last year, A sent B text messages 14 times that caused fear or anxiety.

A reportedly committed these crimes after repeatedly demanding to meet B again after their breakup, but was rejected.

The appellate court stated, "Although the nature of the crime is very bad, the defendant sent a letter to the victim’s father promising not to visit the victim after release," and added, "Since he has expressed remorse by undergoing psychological treatment to correct his violent tendencies, giving him a single chance seems more appropriate for rehabilitation."

The court also noted that during the second trial, A submitted 22 letters of apology and received a message of forgiveness from B, which was taken into consideration.

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