Court upholds 10-year sentence for driver in Apgujeong Rolls-Royce case

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Court upholds 10-year sentence for driver in Apgujeong Rolls-Royce case

Published: 20 Nov. 2024, 14:56

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The 28-year-old assailant who fatally ran over a passerby with his Rolls-Royce while driving under the influence of drugs leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, central Seoul, after attending an arrest warrant hearing on Aug. 11, 2023. [YONHAP]

The top court on Wednesday upheld a 10-year prison sentence for a driver who fatally struck a passerby while under the influence of psychotropic drugs before fleeing the scene near Apgujeong Station in southern Seoul.

Apgujeong Rolls-Royce hit-and-run perp gets 20 years in prison

The 28-year-old driver, identified by his surname Shin, hit a woman on a sidewalk near Apgujeong Station in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 2 last year while driving his Rolls-Royce under the influence of drugs. According to police, Shin had received drug injections twice on the day of the incident.

The victim, a 27-year-old woman, died on Nov. 25 last year after spending months in a coma.

Shin was indicted on charges of manslaughter by reckless driving and fleeing the scene.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a reduced 10-year prison sentence, down from an initial 20 years, ruling that Shin was not guilty of intentionally fleeing the scene.

In January, the Seoul Central District Court found Shin guilty on all charges.

However, the appellate court ruled that Shin’s departure from the scene was not intentional, as he returned after going to a hospital.

Shin claimed that he left the scene to retrieve his phone from the hospital and had no intention of fleeing.

The appellate court acknowledged that Shin informed the police he was the driver involved in the accident and noted that his brief absence was not the primary cause of delayed emergency response efforts.

In a separate case, Shin is also facing trial for the repeated use of psychotropic drugs. He was sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial for the charge.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]