Man in 60s Given Prison Term for Injuring Police Officer's Jaw During Rampage

A man in his 60s who swung a paper bag containing liquor bottles at a police officer while heavily intoxicated, causing injury, has been sentenced to prison again in his appellate trial.

According to the legal community on October 4, the 14th Criminal Division of the Suwon High Court (Presiding Judge Hur Yang-yun) dismissed the appeal of a defendant identified as A, who was indicted on charges of special obstruction of official duties resulting in injury, and upheld the lower court's sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison.

A was sent to trial on charges of swinging a paper bag containing empty liquor bottles at the face of Police Inspector B, injuring him, at a police box in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam, at around 10:40 p.m. on September 24 of last year.

At the time, A went to the police box while drunk and demanded the punishment of a pub owner. When Inspector B advised him to go home, A used inappropriate language and committed the crime.

During the incident, Inspector B suffered injuries requiring about 20 days of medical treatment, including a partial rupture of the muscles in his jaw.

The first-instance court stated that the crime neutralized the legitimate exercise of public authority and threatened the safety of public officials, necessitating strict punishment. It added that the defendant was subject to heavy criticism given his prior criminal record for similar offenses.

The court also explained its sentencing reasons, noting that it considered favorable factors such as the defendant admitting to the crime.

The appellate court similarly explained its reason for dismissing the appeal, stating that the lower court's sentence appeared to have been appropriately determined by considering various circumstances and that the sentence did not seem excessively heavy or unjust.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.