"Give Me My Phone"... Husband Climbs on Driving Wife and Fights

Driver Assault Conviction... Sentenced to 1 Year Imprisonment, 2 Years Probation

A husband who climbed onto his wife while she was driving and engaged in a physical altercation because she secretly took his mobile phone was sentenced to prison.

On the 19th, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Lee Young-jin) announced that Mr. A, who was charged with assaulting a driver under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and causing injury by assault, was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation period.

On August 25th of last year, around 6:20 a.m., Mr. A blocked a passenger car driven by his wife, Ms. B, in her 30s, in an underground parking lot in the Gangwon area, forcing it to stop, and then got into the driver's seat.

He is accused of climbing onto his wife Ms. B’s lap while she was driving, twisting the steering wheel back and forth to take control, and pushing Ms. B, among other acts of assault.

After moving from the underground parking lot to the ground level, he also got into a scuffle trying to grab Ms. B’s bag, saying he wanted to find the missing phone, and assaulted his wife. In September of the same year, Mr. A also strangled Ms. B in their home during an argument over divorce.

Chuncheon District Court Photo by Yonhap News

Mr. A denied the charge of assaulting the driver, claiming, "I never assaulted my wife or tried to take the car’s steering wheel," but this was not accepted.

He also argued that the wounds on Ms. B’s body were caused two days before the incident while trying to stop her from self-harming, but this was also rejected as it did not match records stating "no injuries" and the 119 emergency medical activity log.

The court found Mr. A guilty based on black box footage showing him entering the driver’s seat and lying on top of Ms. B while the vehicle was in motion.

The court stated, "Climbing onto the lap of a driver and pressing the driver’s body in a confined space while blocking their view is an act that poses inherent danger, potentially leading to accidents that threaten not only the victim but also pedestrians and other drivers." It added, "Mr. A’s guilt is not light, as he used strong force during an argument with his spouse, the victim, causing injury." However, regarding sentencing, the court explained, "The crime occurred in the process of trying to retrieve the phone that the victim had secretly taken, and considering that Mr. A has no prior criminal record."

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