A man in his 40s who went on trial on charges of setting a fire in front of an apartment-style villa and injuring 20 residents was sentenced to six years in prison.
On the 22nd, the 12th criminal division of the Incheon District Court (Presiding Judge Shin Sang-ryeol) handed down the sentence to A (47), who was indicted on charges including arson of an occupied structure causing injury and arson of a general automobile.
A was indicted on charges of setting fires for about 31 minutes from 3:54 a.m. on Mar. 21 at the entrance of a villa in Gyeyang District, Incheon, and on piles of roadside trash.
The flames spread to the villa's interior and exterior walls, sending toxic gas throughout the building, and 20 residents suffered injuries including carbon monoxide poisoning and burns.
During the trial, A argued that the crimes were committed in a state of mental and physical incapacity or weakness due to schizophrenia, but the court did not accept the claim.
Although A suffers from schizophrenia, there had been no problematic behavior caused by schizophrenia before the crimes, and after the crimes A covered the face with a mask, leading the court to find there was the ability to distinguish right from wrong and to control conduct.
The court said, "Arson has a grave level of culpability because it risks causing significant harm to the lives and property of many innocent people."