Man who stabbed friend in neck with sashimi knife gets 2.5 years despite 'blackout' claim

A man in his 20s who stabbed a friend in the neck with a sashimi knife in an attempted murder has been sentenced to prison. During the trial, he acknowledged the attack but argued he had been in a state of diminished mental capacity.

The Busan District Court's Criminal Division 6, presided over by Judge Im Seong-cheol, sentenced the man, identified only as A, to two years and six months in prison on Monday on charges of attempted murder.

A was indicted after stabbing his friend, identified as B, in the neck with a sashimi knife he had prepared in advance at a residential unit in Busan's Jin-gu district on Feb. 14. The attack came after B suggested A go home while the two were drinking together.

B survived by immediately overpowering A and wresting away the weapon, but sustained serious injuries to the neck and other areas requiring 12 weeks of treatment.

During the trial, A's defense attorney said the defendant had no memory of his motive for the attack and that the two had been on good terms — drinking together right up until the moment of the incident. The attorney added that psychological and statement analyses conducted by investigators, as well as a preliminary drug test, had failed to establish any motive, and that the drug test had come back negative.

The defense also appealed for leniency, saying A had made efforts toward restitution and had reached a settlement with the victim.

The court, however, said the victim had not only suffered serious injuries requiring 12 weeks of treatment but had also endured severe psychological distress since the incident, including an inability to sleep properly due to extreme anxiety.

In explaining the sentence, the court said it took into account that A was 19 years old at the time of the attack, was a university student with no prior criminal record, and had paid the victim 200 million won ($136,000) as part of a settlement.