A man in his 60s who poked a city bus driver in the eyes and defecated inside the bus has been given a prison sentence by a South Korean court.
Judge Lee Hyun-seok of the Daegu District Court's Criminal Division 3 sentenced the defendant, identified only as A, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and obstruction of business, the court said Wednesday. The judge also ordered A to complete 40 hours of violence treatment classes.
A was indicted on charges of assaulting a bus driver in his 50s, identified as B, by jabbing the driver's eye area multiple times with his fingers after being stopped from boarding a city bus with a drink around 10 p.m. on July 19 last year. The bus was parked on a road in Dong-gu, Daegu, at the time. A also faces charges of obstructing the bus's operation by defecating in the aisle next to the driver's seat.
"The defendant assaulted the bus driver and, at the same time, obstructed the victim's driving duties through force," Judge Lee said. "The sentence was determined by comprehensively considering the defendant's age, prior criminal record, circumstances of the offense, and conduct after the crime."
Under the current Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, assaulting or threatening a driver of a bus or taxi in operation is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won ($14,700). The law considers vehicles that are stopped to also be "in operation."
