[Herald DB]
[Herald DB]

A teenage boy who assaulted his parents received a suspended sentence after they pleaded for leniency on his behalf.

Judge Seo Ji-hye of the Gwangju District Court's Criminal Division 4 sentenced A, 18, to one year in prison, suspended for three years, on charges including aggravated assault causing injury to lineal ascendants, assault causing injury to lineal ascendants, and threatening lineal ascendants. The court also ordered probation and 40 hours of domestic violence treatment classes.

A was indicted on charges of striking his father, who is in his 60s, with a blunt object at the family's home in Gwangju on March 5 at around 5:05 p.m. The attack occurred while A was arguing with his mother, who is in her 50s, and his father had stepped in to intervene. A also assaulted his mother.

The father sustained serious injuries to three parts of his body requiring four weeks of medical treatment.

The court said the offense was highly blameworthy and inhumane, noting that the defendant had failed to control his anger during routine parental guidance and had inflicted injuries on both parents.

However, the court cited several mitigating factors in explaining the sentence: the defendant's young age, his acknowledgment of wrongdoing, the parents' earnest pleas for leniency, and indications that an anger management disorder had partly contributed to the offense. Taken together, the court said, there remained a possibility of behavioral improvement with family support and the defendant's own efforts.


jshan@heraldcorp.com