[Herald DB]
[Herald DB]

A man in his 60s who injured a police officer while heavily intoxicated has had his prison sentence upheld on appeal.

The 14th Criminal Division of Suwon High Court dismissed the appeal filed by the defendant, identified only as A, who was charged with obstruction of official duties resulting in injury, and upheld the original sentence of one year and six months in prison, Newsis reported.

A is accused of visiting a police substation in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in September last year, verbally abusing an officer in his 30s identified as B, and striking B on the chin with a shopping bag containing an empty liquor bottle, causing injuries requiring 24 days of treatment.

A had arrived at the substation heavily drunk, demanding that police punish a noraebang owner on the grounds that the establishment's host was male. When B told him that a report would need to be filed at the scene for police to take action and suggested he go home, A became angry and carried out the assault, according to investigators.

The trial court handed down the prison term, saying the offense was serious "in light of the nature, method and consequences of the crime," and noting that A had prior convictions for similar offenses and had been punished multiple times for violent conduct, making him highly culpable. A subsequently appealed, arguing the sentence was excessive and unjust.

The appeals court said the original sentencing "appears to have been appropriately determined in consideration of various circumstances," adding that no new factors or changed conditions warranting a reduced sentence had emerged since the original ruling.


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