30s Sentenced to Prison for False 'Murder Threat' Report... 13 Calls in 2 Hours

A man in his 30s who made false reports threatening murder to emergency numbers 112 and 119 was sentenced to prison.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 24th, Shin Sang-ryeol, presiding judge of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Northern District Court, sentenced Choi Mo (45), who was tried on charges of obstruction of official duties by deception and violation of the Minor Offenses Act, to one year in prison and a fine of 500,000 won on the 19th.

Choi is accused of making false murder threat reports to 112 and 119 thirteen times from 12:16 a.m. to 2:33 a.m. on August 3, using his mobile phone, with statements such as "I will kill my girlfriend" and "I will kill them all." It was also investigated that when police officers did not arrive at the scene promptly, Choi called again and said things to the effect of "The response is slow. I could kill someone and still have time left."

During the approximately two hours of Choi's reports, the police dispatched 13 patrol cars and 29 officers, while the fire department sent one ambulance, one rescue vehicle, one pump truck, and 13 firefighters. Around 1:36 a.m. on the same day, Choi caused a disturbance for about 20 minutes at a police substation while intoxicated, saying, "What will you do if I destroy everything here?"

The court pointed out, "Choi's false reports obstructed the duties of the police and others, and the unnecessary deployment of public authority infringed on the rights of ordinary citizens to receive prompt and appropriate measures in emergency situations." The court also took into account that Choi had previously been sentenced to prison four times for obstruction of official duties by assault and other offenses, and committed the crime again during the probation period.

The prosecution appealed the first trial verdict on the grounds of inappropriate sentencing. The prosecution explained, "Considering the recent increase in serious violent crimes with abnormal motives targeting unspecified many people, and the occurrence of copycat crimes such as murder threats, which have heightened public anxiety and require strict response, we requested a sentence of two years in prison and a fine of 500,000 won, but the sentencing result did not meet this."

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