The first trial of a former public servant in his 60s who hit and killed elementary school student Bae Seung-ah, 9, in a child protection zone (school zone) in broad daylight while driving drunk opened on the 31st.
The Daejeon District Court’s 12th Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Na Sang-hoon) held the first hearing for Bang Mo (66), who was charged with murder and manslaughter in a child protection zone and drunk driving. Bang’s defence acknowledged all of the prosecution’s facts and evidence and expressed its intention to proceed with the criminal trial먹튀검증.
At the hearing, the prosecution said, “We are conducting psychological evaluations of the adoptive mother and other surviving victims, and based on the results, we will submit objective data on the extent of the victims’ mental trauma.” The prosecution also requested the court to “call two survivors, including the adoptive mother and brother, as witnesses and hear their statements.”
The court decided to hold the victim witnesses’ testimonies, including the bereaved mother and brother, at 2 p.m. on 21 August, taking into account the fact that mental evaluation takes two months.
Bae Seung-a-yang’s mother holds her daughter’s coffin during her funeral. – Yonhap
Bang is suspected of killing four elementary school students aged 9 to 12, including Bae Yang, who was walking on the opposite sidewalk after hitting a road curb while turning left at an intersection in Dunsan-dong, western Daejeon, at around 2:20 p.m. on August 8. The other three children suffered moderate injuries, including brain surgery that left them in a state of total disability for two to 12 weeks.
At the time of the crash, Bang’s blood alcohol level was 0.108%, which is disqualifying, and his car was travelling at 42km/h, in excess of the 30km/h school zone speed limit. On the day of the accident, it was found that Bang drove his car about 5.3 kilometres home after drinking with acquaintances at a restaurant in Taepyeong-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, at around 12:30 p.m. and caused the accident.
The prosecution investigation also revealed that Bang had been punished for drink-driving in 1996.
After his arrest, Bang submitted nine reflections to the trial court, and Bae Yang’s family filed five punishment petitions.
After the first trial of the day, Bae Yang’s mother told reporters, “I heard that the defendant (Bang) was trying to get a reduced sentence by pledging. They say the trial will be long,” she said, adding, “It’s hard to believe that the person who killed my daughter was just such a grandfather…” She trailed off. “The perpetrator is not doing anything, so why do we have to fight alone… I feel like signing a contract with the devil if I can get my daughter back,” she said.
“My daughter is motion sickness, please lift (the coffin) slowly and straight up,” Bae Yang’s mother sobbed at the funeral held at the Daejeon Regional Hospital Funeral Home on the 11th of last month.