Drunk driver sentenced to 12 years for killing girl in school zone

People visit the site in Daejeon where the car driven by a drunk driver ran over four children. A nine-year-old girl died and three children were injured. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

A 66-year-old drunken driver was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Friday for killing a young girl in a school zone in April.

The ruling came from the Daejeon District Court, a month after the prosecutors sought a 15-year sentence on the charges of aggravated punishment for the death of a child in a school zone.

The driver, a former public servant, ran into Bae Seung-ah, a nine-year-old girl and injured three other children.

“The driver was highly intoxicated, unable to stand firmly by himself. He was not able to make the right decision, ending up stepping on the accelerator, not the brake which led to more serious damage [on the children],” the court said.

“The predictable tragedy could have been avoided if the driver made the right choice. His action goes far against the law and the result is dreadful.”

With public opinion calling for stronger punishment for the drunk driver, the court noted that a drunk driver could face up to a lifetime sentence in jail.

“Although the driver sold off his house to make a compensatory payment and acknowledged his offense, the bereaved family has been demanding a harsh penalty against him,” the court added.

He was driving at 42 kilometers per hour (26 miles per hour) when the car ran over the sidewalk and hit children at around 2:21 p.m. on April 8.

The offender’s blood alcohol level was at 0.108 percent, far above the 0.08 percent limit for having a license canceled. He drove around 5.3 km (3.3 miles) from where he gathered with his acquaintances and drank.

The speed limit in a school zone is 30 kilometers per hour.

It was not his first offense for driving under the influence. According to the prosecution office, he was punished in 1996 and also confessed to his previous drunk driving experience while not being caught.

BY JEONG HYE-JEONG,LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]