A court in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, has sentenced a dog owner to one year and 10 months in prison for animal protection violations after his unleashed greyhound collided with two cyclists, causing serious injuries.
Sequence of Events on Jungnangcheon Bike Path
The collisions happened on the afternoon of May 24, 2024, along the Jungnangcheon bicycle path in Uijeongbu. The owner, identified as A, walked his two-year-old male greyhound using only a partial leash before fully unleashing the dog without safety precautions.
The greyhound first struck a man in his 50s riding a bicycle, inflicting severe injuries. Moments later, the same dog charged at another man in his 50s, known as B, who rode an electric bicycle nearby. B crashed to the ground, suffering a left wrist injury. He received hospital treatment, was discharged after a week, and later underwent surgery for complications.
B, an enthusiastic angler, could not fish for a full week due to his injury and filed charges.
Judge’s Rationale and Key Statements
Presiding Judge Kim Joon-young emphasized that owners must leash animals during outings to prevent harm. “The defendant neglected these measures and injured the victim,” the judge stated.
The court observed that A offered no aid to the victims after the crashes and instead left the scene to retrieve his brown greyhound. “Even post-accident, the defendant provided no assistance to the victim and appears to have fled the area,” Judge Kim added.
Factors including no victim settlements, a half-hearted guilty plea, and other circumstances influenced the prison term decision.
