Man in His 40s Who Seriously Injured Landlord by Stabbing Him After Being Pressed to Pay 16 Months of Overdue Rent Receives Reduced Sentence; Court Says Attack Was Spontaneous

[Financial News] A tenant in his 40s who wielded a weapon at his landlord after being pressed to pay 16 months of overdue rent received a reduced sentence on appeal. The man, who made the bizarre claim at his first trial that "the landlord had injured himself" while denying the crime, was found to have 22 prior convictions.
According to legal sources on the 16th, the first criminal division of the Changwon panel of the Busan High Court, presided over by High Court Judge Park Gwang-seo, overturned the original sentence of 16 years in prison and sentenced Mr. A, who had been indicted on attempted murder charges, to 12 years in prison.
Mr. A was accused of attempting to kill Mr. B, his landlord in his 50s, by stabbing him with a weapon at a house in Gimhae City, South Gyeongsang Province, on September 18 last year. Mr. A had failed to pay approximately 16 months of rent. On the day of the incident, Mr. B followed him into his room and pressed him to pay the overdue rent and move out, prompting Mr. A to commit the crime.
He brought a weapon from the kitchen and placed it on a table in the living room. When Mr. B continued to question him about the unpaid rent, he swung the weapon. Mr. B suffered severe injuries to blood vessels and organs in his abdomen. He was rushed to a hospital by the 119 Emergency Medical Service and underwent major surgery that involved partially removing several organs. Mr. B is reportedly suffering from severe psychological shock and anxiety, in addition to injuries diagnosed as requiring at least four weeks of treatment.
Mr. A, who had a total of 22 prior criminal records, including two previous violent offenses, completely denied the charges during the investigation and his first trial, claiming that "Mr. B had injured himself."
The trial court criticized him, saying, "The victim survived only by chance because the weapon narrowly missed vital areas and emergency treatment was not delayed." It added, "He has consistently offered absurd and preposterous excuses and has shown not even the slightest remorse," before sentencing him to 16 years in prison.
The appellate court, however, reached a different conclusion. A major reason for the reduced sentence was that, unlike at the first trial, Mr. A admitted to the entire crime on appeal and showed remorse.
The appellate court explained the reduction by saying, "Although he has not been forgiven by the victim and the crime was unsuccessful, his criminal liability remains extremely serious. However, considering that the attack was spontaneous and that Mr. A tried to prevent the injuries from worsening by providing emergency aid to the victim immediately after the crime, the original sentence appears somewhat excessive."


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