A mother in her 30s, sentenced to 12 years in prison in the first trial for causing the death of a motorcycle driver while driving severely intoxicated with her young children in the car, has finally admitted to the crimes during her appellate trial.
The bereaved family stated they could not accept her belated change in attitude and pleaded with the court for a stern punishment.
During the second trial hearing for A (38) held today (August 26) by the 1st Criminal Division of the Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Kang Gil-yeon), the defense counsel stated, "Although she partially denied the crimes in the first trial, she is now in a position to admit to them."
A also stated that her stance was the same as that of her defense counsel.
A was put on trial for charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (fatal hit-and-run) and violation of the Child Welfare Act (child abuse). On January 4 at around 9:19 PM, she was driving at a speeding rate of 178 km/h with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.211%, a level warranting license revocation, on a road in Hongseong-gun, South Chungcheong Province, when she crashed into a preceding motorcycle, killing the driver B (28).
Investigations showed that after causing the accident, she failed to take necessary measures such as rescuing the victim, and instead protested to witnesses, claiming her children were startled.
A's two daughters, aged 4 and 6, were also inside the vehicle as she drove recklessly, violating traffic signals and exceeding the speed limit by about 118 km/h.
Consequently, prosecutors indicted her with an additional charge of violating the Child Welfare Act (child abuse), concluding that A's daughters were terrified by the reckless driving and the traffic accident, which constituted emotional abuse.
In the first trial, A denied the charges of fatal hit-and-run and failure to take post-accident measures, claiming, "I was heavily intoxicated at the time and did not know the victim had died, nor did I leave the accident scene or have any intention to flee." However, the first trial court found her guilty on all counts.
The first trial court sentenced her to 12 years in prison, stating, "Even though the victim was still alive, rather than taking necessary measures, she shifted her responsibility onto others and fled upon seeing a police car arrive at the accident scene."
Regarding the child abuse charge, the court also reprimanded her, stating, "Despite being a person responsible for protecting and supervising her children, she had her two children in the vehicle while engaging in drunk and reckless driving for a considerable period of time, leading to a fatal accident that caused significant harm to the mental health and development of the victimized children."
As both A and the prosecution appealed on grounds of unfair sentencing, the first appellate trial hearing was held on this day.
Despite the change in stance from A's side, the bereaved family of B urged for a severe penalty.
Given the opportunity to speak in court, B's father emphasized, "Now she says she admits to what she previously denied, which is making a mockery of the police, prosecutors, and the first-instance court. We have never received a sincere apology. We cannot reach a settlement."
It was also learned that the bereaved family has separately filed a civil lawsuit for damages against A and her insurance company.
As A's side stated they wish to have time to apologize and consult with the victim's side, the appellate court decided to hold one more hearing.
The next trial is scheduled to take place on September 30.
(Photo: Yonhap News TV capture, Yonhap News)
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