Hospital Director and Caregiver Receive Suspended Sentences After Patient Beaten to Death by Restrained Roommate

A hospital director and a ward caregiver have received suspended prison sentences after failing to properly manage a hospital ward, leading to a patient being beaten to death.
Judge Kang Seong-yeong of the Incheon District Court announced today, July 13, that he sentenced the director of a psychiatric hospital in Incheon, identified as A (60), to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and a ward caregiver, B (65), to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.
A and the others were indicted on charges of failing to properly manage a hospital room in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, on the morning of November 2, 2023, which allowed a patient, C, to assault and kill another patient, D.
Previously, patient C had been admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment on October 24, 2023, after assaulting a passerby and damaging a patrol car.
After C continued to exhibit violent behavior, A moved the patient to a ward occupied only by patients with cognitive impairments.
These patients were restrained by their limbs during nighttime hours due to the risk of wandering caused by delirium.
Hospital director A had assigned only one caregiver to the ward and failed to install closed-circuit (CCTV) cameras inside the patient rooms or provide specialized training.
Under these circumstances, it was revealed that C punched patient D, who was lying in the same room with their limbs restrained, in the abdomen multiple times, resulting in D's death.
Upon witnessing the incident, caregiver B merely shouted, "Stop it and go to sleep," without attempting to stop the assault or notifying medical staff.
Judge Kang stated, "Hospital director A decided to place C, a patient with a high risk of violence, in the same room as patients whose cognitive abilities and reality-testing skills were significantly impaired," adding, "This resulted in an increased risk of harm to other patients."
The judge further noted, "Although the hospital director had a professional duty of care to establish a management and supervision system, they failed to provide the caregiver with specific response guidelines," and added, "If proper separation and a constant monitoring system had been in place, the death of the victim could have been sufficiently prevented."
Judge Kang explained the sentencing, stating, "The culpability of the defendants is not light, and it appears the victim's bereaved family has suffered immense mental shock and pain," but added, "We took into account that the foundation deposited 100 million won for the bereaved family and that neither defendant has a prior criminal record exceeding a fine or a suspended sentence."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.