Woman gets suspended jail term for attacking 2 people she claimed were stalkers

A 49-year-old woman has been given a one-year jail term, suspended for two years, for attacking a man and a woman under the false belief they were stalking her, court officials said Wednesday.

In a recent ruling from the Seoul Northern District Court, the suspect was found guilty of violence and special bodily injury on another in two attacks, against a 44-year-old woman and a 70-year-old man with mental disabilities She was also ordered to be on probation.

On Sept. 16 last year the defendant attacked the female victim at a walking trail in Nowon-gu, Seoul, striking her repeatedly in the eye and forehead. The defendant accused the victim of stalking her and reported her to police, and became enraged when the alarmed victim took out her phone to capture evidence.

In another case on Oct. 11, the defendant attacked the male victim using her fists and feet.

The defendant claimed her actions were in self-defense against stalking, but the court rejected her claim. It did take into consideration that the defendant had suffered mental distress from the death of her husband, which appeared to have led to her unstable mental status leading up to the incidents.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)