Father Indicted for Child Abuse

Case Overview

In this case, the defendant, angry that his 10-year-old son had lied to the boy's mother, threw a glass containing alcohol; a fragment ricocheted off the wall and injured the child's head, and the defendant was indicted for physical abuse under the Child Welfare Act. The defendant had twice previously received protective dispositions for child abuse, and the fact that he reoffended while serving a suspended sentence (officially “suspension of execution of sentence”) for an unrelated offense weighed against him at sentencing. That said, the defendant admitted the offense and showed deep remorse, and the child and the entire family petitioned for leniency. The child continued to live with his father, and the defendant, as the breadwinner supporting his minor children, was making genuine efforts toward the family's recovery.

Our Strategy

In this case, DAEON acknowledged the unfavorable circumstances, namely the defendant's repeated history and the fact that he was under a suspended sentence, while building a defense strategy to minimize actual criminal punishment. First, by securing and submitting the defendant's letter of remorse together with numerous petitions from the child and family members, we highlighted that the defendant was not simply a violent actor but the family's provider with a genuine will to recover. We also emphasized that the incident was the result of an emotional lapse rather than deliberate or habitual abuse, steering the court to focus on preventing reoffending and the prospects for rehabilitation. The court agreed that this was not a matter to be resolved by punishment alone, and that protection and education within the family had to come first. As a result, the case concluded without a prison sentence, ending instead with a fine, a treatment order, and an employment restriction. This is an example of how a strategic defense and carefully presented evidence effectively eliminated the prospect of imprisonment.

Result · KRW 7M Fine

Father Indicted for Child Abuse

This is the result of an individual case and does not guarantee a similar outcome. Some facts have been generalized and personal information redacted to protect the client.