A 70-year-old individual has been sentenced to prison for driving under the influence and causing a fatal accident, then fleeing the scene, despite having a prior record of causing a fatal traffic accident.

The Changwon District Court, presided over by Judge Seok Dong-woo of the 4th Criminal Division, announced today (July 10) that it sentenced the defendant, identified as A, to four years in prison on charges including fatal hit-and-run under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes.

A was charged with striking and killing a 70-year-old cyclist, B, while driving under the influence on a road in Uichang-gu, Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, at approximately 7:30 p.m. on April 9 of last year, and subsequently fleeing the scene.

A also faced charges for driving on two separate occasions in June and September of last year, despite having had their license revoked due to this incident.

It was determined that at the time of the fatal DUI accident, A asked a resident passing by to call for help, but fled the scene without identifying themselves once emergency responders arrived.

Initially, the police concluded that the hit-and-run charge could not be substantiated because A had remained at the scene until the arrival of emergency services. Consequently, the police referred the case to the prosecution on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents (death resulting from negligence), excluding the hit-and-run charge.

However, the prosecution confirmed that A had pretended not to be the driver in order to conceal the fact that they were driving under the influence before fleeing. The prosecution then indicted A on charges of fatal hit-and-run and unlicensed driving.

The court stated the reasons for the sentencing, noting, "The defendant has a prior conviction for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents (death resulting from negligence) in 2019, and the bereaved family of B is suffering immense grief and pain, and has requested a stern punishment." The court added, "However, we have taken into account that the defendant has admitted to most of the facts and is showing remorse, and that after leaving the scene, the defendant returned to the location after parking at their residence and confessed to the police officer that they had caused the accident."