An individual in their 60s was initially sentenced to prison for biting a police officer and creating a disturbance during an investigation. They were given a shorter sentence after expressing regret for their actions.
The Criminal Division 1 of the Chuncheon District Court (Presiding Judge Shim Hyun-geun) reversed the lower court’s one-year prison sentence for A (65 years old) in a case where he was charged with obstructing justice and assault, lowering it to 10 months in prison along with a two-year probation period. The court also mandated 80 hours of community service.
The higher court provided the rationale for the reduction, saying, “Biting a police officer’s leg and inflicting harm while the officer was properly carrying out their duty to arrest a person suspected of wrongdoing is not a minor offense,” and also mentioned, “Nevertheless, we took into account that the defendant confessed to the crime and expressed regret during the appeal hearing.”
A was taken to court on allegations of biting a police officer’s leg and causing harm to them during an investigation at a local police station. This occurred after he was arrested as a suspect in a case involving entering a taxi without paying, following a drinking session with friends at a bar in September of last year.
At that moment, even after being cautioned about potential arrest for refusing to share personal details with the police officer, A committed the offense while opposing the arrest.
In the initial trial, A claimed that “the police officer’s arrest was illegal,” yet the first instance court determined all charges to be valid and sentenced A to a one-year prison term. Nevertheless, the court opted not to impose a jail sentence in order to provide a chance for compensation to the victim.
