Court Increases Sentence to 3 Years and 6 Months for Husband Who Poured Boiling Water on Wife

A husband who poured boiling water on his sleeping Thai wife, causing severe burns, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison.

The 40-year-old man, identified as A, was arrested and indicted on charges of pouring water boiled in an electric kettle onto the face and neck of his 30-year-old Thai wife, B, while she was sleeping at their apartment in Howon-dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, last December.

During the initial investigation, A denied the charges, claiming he had "tripped and spilled the boiling water by mistake." However, during the trial, he admitted to all charges, bowed his head, and tearfully pleaded for leniency.

The Uijeongbu District Court sentenced A, who was indicted on charges of special injury, to three years and six months in prison and condemned the cruelty of the crime.

The court stated, "The defendant committed a cruel act that is difficult for an ordinary person to imagine, boiling water and pouring it onto a sleeping spouse's face," and pointed out, "It appears the crime was committed to prevent her from meeting other men, suggesting a very high possibility of recidivism."

The court further explained the reasoning for the sentencing, stating, "Although the defendant claims the crime was committed after discovering his wife's infidelity, such a brutal act cannot be justified regardless of whether the infidelity is true."

While the prosecution had initially requested a three-year prison sentence for A, the court declared, "We have determined there are factors warranting an increase in the sentence, and therefore, we are imposing a sentence higher than what was requested."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.