ULSAN — A court has sentenced a man in his 30s to prison for threatening his live-in partner with a weapon and beating her, leaving her seriously injured, then stalking her at her workplace after she ended the relationship.
Judge Lee Hyun-kyung of the Ulsan District Court's Criminal Division 6 said on the 13th that the defendant, identified only as A, received 18 months in prison on charges including aggravated assault and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Stalking Crimes. The court also ordered A to complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program.
A is accused of punching the victim, identified as B, in the head and face several times during an argument at her home in Ulsan's Nam-gu district at about 2 a.m. on July 5. During the attack, A held a weapon and threatened her, saying, "I have nothing to lose, no money, and I'm already on trial. You think I can't kill you?" A then checked the victim's mobile phone and struck her body with the weapon and an electronic cigarette device, among other objects. Two days later, on July 7, A again slapped and punched B while demanding she unlock a spare mobile phone. B suffered injuries including fractured ribs requiring four weeks of treatment.
After the assaults, when the victim said she was ending the relationship, A persistently stalked her. The charges also included continuing to cause her anxiety by going directly to her workplace and sending her a total of 17 text messages.
"The defendant's crimes caused the victim severe fear, and she continues to report distress and has petitioned for harsh punishment," the court said in explaining the sentence. "The sentence was determined taking into account as mitigating factors that the defendant admitted wrongdoing and showed a repentant attitude."