After School alum singer and actress Nana expressed anger toward the suspect in the home robbery.
On the afternoon of the 21st, the 1st criminal division (A) of the Uijeongbu District Court Namyangju Branch held the third trial for 30-year-old defendant A, who was prosecuted in custody on charges of robbery and injury. At the trial that day, Nana and his mother appeared as witnesses and testified in person about the circumstances at the time.
Arriving in front of the courtroom, Nana told reporters "I was so nervous that I took a cheongsimhwan. I will control my emotions and come back" and said "I will tell it as it is, transparently and truthfully." Regarding defendant A denying the charges, she said "It's absurd. It's ironic that I'm here" and "If I tell the truth honestly, a proper verdict will come out."
After that, as soon as Nana entered the courtroom she expressed anger toward A, saying "Is this fun? Look me in the eye." The presiding judge mediated, saying "This is a courtroom, so please observe courtroom etiquette," and repeatedly restrained Nana, who was glaring at A, saying "I understand the feelings, but the trial cannot proceed smoothly in an agitated state." Nana then said she "could not help being agitated."
At the continued trial, Nana and her mother described in detail the circumstances of the robbery. Nana recalled, "I heard my mother's moaning and a man's breathing. I sensed danger from those sounds and went out as carefully as possible." She said she then saw A choking her mother and recalled, "I was also very excited. I thought I had to go quickly and separate my mother and that man."
Nana, who said she did not imagine there would be a knife, said, "(When I saw the knife) I thought I had to take it away. From the perpetrator's actions, I thought he could do anything to my mother," and added, "I defended myself instinctively." About the time spent struggling with the defendant, she said, "I don't remember the exact time. To me at that moment it felt like a very long time."
She said, "When I swung (the knife), the defendant grabbed the blade with both hands. I was holding the knife with one hand, so I had very little strength. So I could only swing at every visible place," and "I hit his face with my fist, and he didn't let go of the knife until the end. During that time my mother woke up and was holding the knife together. The three of us held the knife and struggled for it."
She added, "My mother and I are women, and the robber was a man wearing gloves. Because we lacked strength, all we could do was shout 'save us.'" She said, "We were like that for quite a long time, and then he said 'I don't intend to stab. Please put down the knife.' We tried to persuade and beg. We made him let go of the hand holding the knife, and told my mother to put the knife away. The defendant was shaking, and his neck was injured and bleeding from the knife I had swung. He told me 'I'm sorry, please save me.' So I decided to calm him down first," and said she instructed her mother to call 112 while soothing the defendant.
Nana, who has suffered severe trauma from this incident, said, "I thought I gave that person a chance appropriate to the situation and made the right choice. But why has this trial dragged on so long, and why must we endure humiliation? It feels like being harmed countless times," she vented. She appealed to A, saying, "Please stop this," and "I hope the sentence doesn't get longer or harsher; I hope this ends here and he reflects."
Nana's mother, Ms. Shin, also continued her testimony. Shin explained that at the time of the incident she came out of the main bedroom into the living room because the pet dog was barking and encountered the stranger, the defendant. Regarding the defendant's appearance at that time, Shin said, "When I went to the veranda, he was coming in holding a knife on his right. I tried to close the door. I tried to keep him out, but he forced his way in," and added, "He strangled my neck, and all I could think about was my daughter in the room." Hearing her mother's testimony, Nana finally shed tears.
He said that when Nana came out to the living room she was already almost unconscious and said, "I have no memory. When I woke up, my daughter was beside me." When asked whether she had fought to stop A, she said, "At that time it wasn't a situation where I could fight. The three of us were just holding the knife," and added, "I am still receiving physical therapy. My body has improved a lot."
Meanwhile, last November Nana was harmed by a robber who broke into her home carrying a weapon. Nana and her mother subdued the robber themselves after a struggle and handed him over to the police. In the process, Nana's mother suffered neck-strangulation injuries, and the robber also sustained a laceration to the jaw during the restraint, but the police judged this to be self-defense and did not book him. However, A filed a complaint claiming that the actions Nana took during the restraint amounted to attempted murder and special injury, and the Guri Police Station in Gyeonggi reviewed Nana's actions as self-defense and made a decision of no indictment.
Thereafter, at the first trial A reportedly denied the charges, asserting "there was no intent to rob," "I did not carry a weapon," and "there was no assault." The next hearing for A is scheduled for May 12 at 11:30 a.m..<
[Photo] OSEN reporter Lee Dae-seon
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