College student who blinded friend by hitting him gets sentenced to 1 year in prison

Victim underwent surgery for orbital fracture
Victim's side pleads for severe punishment, saying, "The future is hindered by a disability that is close to blindness... The perpetrator shows no remorse."

A college student in his 20s was sentenced to prison for hitting a friend in the face during an argument, causing him to lose his eyesight.

The 11th Criminal Division of Suwon District Court sentenced Mr. A, who was handed over to trial on charges of serious bodily injury, to one year in prison in December last year.

Mr. A is accused of hitting his roommate, Mr. B, in the face and causing serious injury during an argument at a university dormitory in Gyeonggi-do in March 2023.

As a result of this accident, Mr. B was diagnosed with an orbital fracture and underwent emergency surgery. Afterwards, the visual acuity of the left eye that underwent surgery fell below 0.02, resulting in permanent vision impairment close to blindness.

Immediately after the incident, it was revealed that Mr. A was only focused on avoiding the situation, such as instructing Mr. B to “walk around as usual and (if anyone) asks, just give answers.”

At the trial, Mr. B's side appealed for severe punishment for Mr. A. Mr. B's side emphasized, "The victim, who was a promising college soccer player, suffered permanent disability due to this incident and had to give up his dream, but the perpetrator is not showing any serious attitude of remorse."

The court judged that the degree of damage suffered by Mr. B due to Mr. A's assault was serious and sentenced him to prison. The court explained the reason for sentencing, saying, "The defendant committed serious injuries that caused permanent loss of vision to the victim, so the crime is not good. The victim is at risk of not being able to continue living as an athlete, which he had worked hard to do for a long time. In addition, the victim is appealing for a severe punishment commensurate with the defendant's guilt."

Attorney Jeong Seok-hyeon of the Daeryun Law Firm, who is Mr. B's legal representative, said, "It is reasonable to believe that Mr. A had at least a slight intention to injure Mr. B when he struck Mr. B's face, and that there was also a possibility of foreseeing the serious injury of blindness. Considering that Mr. B is currently in a serious condition and is about to be diagnosed with left eye blindness, Mr. A should be given the punishment he deserves."

He added, “In this case, compensation for damages is also in progress,” and “Based on this ruling, we will do our best to help achieve a favorable result for Mr. B.”

Reporter Kim Jong-cheol (jckim99@sportsseoul.com)

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University student who beat up friend, causing blindness, sentenced to 1 year in prison (link)