High Schooler Who Attacked Teacher With Weapon Avoids Criminal Punishment

A high school student who attacked and injured a teacher with a weapon due to a lingering grudge from his middle school days has been sent to the juvenile division instead of facing criminal punishment, a court ruled.

The 1st Criminal Division of the Nonsan Branch of the Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Oh Myung-hee) announced on October 7 that it decided to transfer A (17), who was indicted on charges of attempted murder, to the juvenile division of the Daejeon Family Court.

The Juvenile Act stipulates that if a court reviews a case involving a minor under the age of 19 and recognizes grounds for protective measures to correct their behavior, the case must be transferred to the juvenile division.

Upon receiving a juvenile division transfer decision, the minor receives one of ten protective measures ranging from consignment to a guardian to long-term commitment to a juvenile reformatory, instead of criminal punishment.

The court explained, "The defendant is a minor of only 17 years of age and has reflected on his wrongdoing while detained for the past 5 months.

It appears that the mental health issues he experienced prior to this crime also influenced the offense."

The court added, "He turned himself in by reporting the crime to the police on his own, and has no prior record of criminal punishment or juvenile protective measures."

The court also noted, "The victim has asked for a ruling that allows A to grow into a normal adolescent through proper treatment and education."

A was indicted on charges of attempting to murder a male teacher in his 30s, surnamed B, by stabbing him multiple times with a weapon at a high school in Gyeryong-si, South Chungcheong Province, at around 8:44 a.m. on April 13.

It was found that A harbored resentment, believing that teacher B had singled him out and reprimanded or criticized him more harshly than others during his middle school days.

When B transferred to the same high school and became subject to his guidance once again, A refused to attend school, and starting a week before the crime, he had been attending an alternative school located in another region.

Investigations showed that A premeditated the crime, packed the prepared weapon in his bag on the day of the incident, and went to the school to carry it out.

During the sentencing hearing held on September 2, the prosecutor demanded a prison term of 2 years and 6 months to 4 years, stating, "The nature of the crime is not light, as he stabbed a teacher with a weapon."

A, who admitted to all the criminal charges from the first trial, had expressed remorse in his final statement, saying, "I have caused pain to the teacher through my wrongful actions."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.