"Blocked the Way": Chinese International Student Pushes and Kicks Elderly in 80s onto Road... Reason for Sentence Reduction

On the 7th, citizens holding umbrellas are crossing the crosswalk in downtown Seoul. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A Chinese international student who pushed an elderly man in his 80s onto the road, causing injury, received a reduced sentence in the appellate court. The court considered the defendant's impaired mental state at the time of the crime.

According to the legal community on the 18th, the Jeonju District Court's 1st Criminal Division (Chief Judge Noh Jong-chan) announced that it overturned the original sentence (1 year imprisonment) and sentenced the 30-year-old Chinese national, Mr. A, who was charged with injury, violation of the Railroad Safety Act, and assault, to 10 months imprisonment with a 2-year probation.

Mr. A pushed Mr. B, an elderly man in his 80s, onto the road in front of a bus stop in Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, at around 2:06 PM on April 6 last year. Mr. B, who fell after being pushed by Mr. A, sustained injuries requiring two weeks of medical treatment. It is known that Mr. A testified that he pushed Mr. B from behind because Mr. B was blocking his way.

In addition, on July 4 of the same year, Mr. A suddenly rushed at a station staff member at the Incheon Airport Railroad platform and hit the staff member's head with his hand. He is also accused of kicking the thigh of a man he did not know and punching his face multiple times on a train.

The first trial court stated, "The defendant assaulted the victims without reason and neither compensated nor apologized for the damages, making severe punishment inevitable," and sentenced him to one year in prison.

The prosecution appealed, arguing that the sentence was too light, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal and overturned the original one-year sentence. It was explained that although the defendant was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the crimes and had diminished capacity to discern or make decisions, the original court did not acknowledge this impaired mental state.

The appellate court stated, "While the defendant's commission of theft during the trial for injury and other charges, and the fact that he received two fines as an international student are unfavorable factors, we considered the defendant's impaired mental state at the time of the crimes, the settlement reached with the victims during this appeal, and the family's commitment to actively treat the defendant's schizophrenia in determining the sentence."

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