A man in his 40s was fined for repeatedly sending threatening text messages and even going to the school of an elementary school student, demanding the return of an item his son lost in an online game.
The Daegu District Court Criminal Division 11 single-judge panel (Judge Jeon Myeong-hwan) said on the 28th it fined a person identified as A, in their 40s, 1.5 million won on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act.
The online game Roblox./Courtesy of Roblox
On Aug. 13 last year, at a home in Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang Province, A heard from A’s son that a schoolmate, a boy identified as B, 11, had stolen an item from him in the internet game Roblox.
A was indicted on charges of sending 10 threatening text messages to B. The texts said A would go to the school or home when vacation ended.
A’s actions did not stop at text messages. On the 21st of the same month, A allegedly went in person to the main gate of the elementary school attended by A’s child and B, demanded that B return the game item, and shouted loudly for about five minutes.
At the time, both A’s child and B were fifth-graders in elementary school and did not know each other.
In court, A argued that A’s actions could not be seen as inflicting emotional abuse on B.
However, the court found that A made the child victim feel anxiety and fear and then used that as a means to get the game item back.
In particular, regarding the situation when A approached B at the school’s main gate, the court said it was highly likely A’s voice and demeanor would have startled the child victim or made the child conscious of the gaze of people nearby.
The court ruled that such behavior could objectively cause the child victim to feel shame and anxiety and thus constituted emotional abuse.
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