Chinese captain gets severe sentence for murder of Korean coast guard

Posted on : 2012-04-20 11:55 KST Modified on : 2012-04-20 11:55 KST
Normal guidelines were exceeded in captain’s 30-year sentence

By Kim Young-hwan, Incheon correspondent

A Chinese fishing boat captain who stabbed a Korean coast guard to death after being caught fishing illegally has sentenced to 30 years in prison and a fine of 20 million won (about US$17,500). This verdict exceeds the Korean judiciary’s sentencing guidelines.

The verdict for captain Cheng Dawei, 42, was handed down at a hearing at Incheon District Court on Thursday morning.

The court ruling stated, “You must be strictly held to account for resisting the performance of official duty by a law enforcement officer cracking down on unlawful activity. In the course of the defendant‘s illegal resistance, one of the law enforcement officers involved in the crackdown lost his life and another sustained serious injuries, giving rise to shock, sadness and anger on the part not only of their families but the entire public. The defendant must also be held firmly to account in order to prevent a recurrence of illegal acts and related tragedies.”

The court determined that Cheng’s act was intended to cause death, which was considered in his harsh sentence.

It also stated, however, “[The court] thinks the sentence recommended by sentencing guidelines (9 years-20 years and 4 months) alone is not sufficient punishment for the person most directly responsible for ordering resistance to coast guards conducting a crackdown and bringing about this tragedy and has therefore decided upon a sentence that exceeds the recommended upper limit.”

Cheng reportedly showed little reaction upon hearing his sentence.

The court sentenced eight other crew members from Cheng’s ship, including 42-year-old chief engineer Wang Guo-hui, to sentences of between two years and 18 months with a fine of 10 million won, as well as sentencing Liu Lian-cheng, the 32-year-old captain of another vessel that deliberately rammed Cheng’s ship in order to obstruct the seizure operation, to five years in prison and a fine of 20 million won.

At Cheng’s trial, on April 4, prosecutors demanded the death penalty for Cheng, saying, “Severe punishment is inevitable, considering that the murder was premeditated, [Cheng] has provided no compensation whatsoever, and that the family members [of the deceased] want a severe punishment.”

Cheng and other Chinese sailors were indicted on suspicion of brandishing deadly weapons and killing 42-year-old Korea Coast Guard officer Lee Cheong-ho after Lee and nine other officers seized their vessel when they violated an exclusive economic zone 87km south-west of Socheong-do in Ongjin-gun, Incheon on December 12 last year and fished illegally.

 

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