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A man in his 20s, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being stabbed by a neighbor in a past inter-floor noise dispute and later attempted to set fire to the assailant's home, has been sentenced to prison and ordered into medical treatment custody by a lower court.
According to legal circles on August 6, the Suwon District Court Criminal Department 15 (Presiding Judge Jung Yoon-seop) sentenced the man in his 20s, surnamed A, to one year and six months in prison and ordered medical treatment custody on charges including criminal trespass and attempted arson of an inhabited building.
The court also confiscated a pair of scissors and a utility knife used in the crimes.
A was indicted for attempting arson on October 5, 2024, at an apartment in Suji-gu, Yongin, by igniting 25 firecrackers and placing them in front of the front door of a neighbor in her 50s, surnamed B.
The arson attempt failed after the firecrackers went out on their own.
According to the investigation, A had been stabbed by the downstairs neighbor during an argument over inter-floor noise in March of the same year, sustaining severe injuries requiring eight weeks of medical treatment.
The neighbor who wielded the weapon against A at the time was indicted on charges of special injury and sentenced to one year and six months in prison in October of that year.
It was found that A, whose psychiatric symptoms worsened due to the incident, held a grudge against the remaining family members, including B, the wife of the assailant who lived in that apartment unit, and committed the arson crime.
In addition to the attempted arson, A was confirmed to have committed other offenses, including wielding weapons against complete strangers.
He was also charged with special injury for stabbing a man in his 30s, surnamed C, whom he did not know, in the face with scissors in December of last year in the apartment's common entrance, after mistaking him for the neighbor who had stabbed him in the past.
In October 2024, A was also charged with special assault resulting in injury for throwing a stone without any reason at the back of a man in his 40s, surnamed D, who was walking on the street, knocking down the protesting victim, and threatening him with a utility knife, causing injuries.
The court stated, "The defendant intruded in front of an inhabited residence and attempted arson, and ruthlessly stabbed a complete stranger in the face using a weapon, making the nature of the crime extremely dangerous and deserving of strong criticism."
However, the court added, "We took into consideration that he reported the arson himself to 119 immediately afterward, committed the crimes while in a state of mental and physical weakness, and reached settlements with the victims of the special injury cases who submitted statements expressing they did not wish for his punishment. Given the high risk of reoffending without treatment, he needs to receive treatment in a medical custody facility."
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