Suspect posed as passenger, lost weapon in struggle

A taxi [123rf]
A taxi [123rf]

A homeless man who posed as a passenger and held a knife to a taxi driver's throat in an attempt to steal money has been sentenced to prison.

The 12th Criminal Division of the Ulsan District Court, presided over by Judge Park Gang-min, sentenced the defendant, identified only as A, to two years in prison on charges of attempted aggravated robbery, the court announced Sunday.

In April, A boarded a taxi and, when the vehicle stopped at a red light on a road in Ulsan, pressed a knife against the throat of the driver — a man in his 30s identified as B — and demanded money.

B resisted and wrested the knife away, after which A was reported to police. Investigators found that A had been living on the streets for about two months without steady employment and carried out the attack after running short of money for living expenses.

"The victim continues to suffer severe trauma, and it is difficult to conclude that the defendant poses a low risk of reoffending," the court said in its sentencing remarks.

After his arrest, A underwent surgery for heart failure and pulmonary edema with assistance from investigative authorities and local government.


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