• published: 11 Nov 2014
• views: 100

The captain of a South Korean ferry that capsized - killing more than 300 people - has been jailed for 36 years. Lee Joon-seok, 69, was found guilty of severe dereliction of duty but cleared of murder following a five-month trial. The three-judge bench ruled that prosecutors, who had demanded the death penalty for the captain, failed to prove the most serious charge of "homicide through wilful negligence". Three other senior crew members, who had also faced homicide charges, were sentenced to jail terms of up to 30 years. "We find it hard to conclude that the defendants ... were aware that all of the victims would die because of their actions and they had an intention to kill them," the bench said. "Therefore the murder charges are not accepted." The verdicts and sentences handed to 11 other crew members also on trial were not immediately clear. The overloaded Sewol capsized on 16 April while making a turn during a routine voyage to the holiday island of Jeju. Members of the crew were among the first people to be rescued from the ship, while the mostly teenage passengers waited in their cabins. Lee had apologised for abandoning the passengers but said he did not know his actions would lead to so many deaths. The public outcry prompted by the tragedy led to concerns that the crew may not get a fair trial, with private sector lawyers largely shunning the defendants. Only one crew member was represented by a private lawyer during the trial, which saw occasional emotional outbursts from families in the public gallery. Cheong Yeong-seok, a law professor at Korea Maritime and Ocean University, said: "I think the prosecutors have been under very heavy pressure. "In my opinion, the death penalty which prosecutors demanded is too much for the captain's charge. "But the public opinion was too negative and the situation from the gallery in the courtroom wasn't good." Death sentences are rare in South Korea, which has not carried out an execution for more than 15 years. Kim Hyun, a maritime lawyer advising the government on payment of damages to victims in the sinking, said he believed the crew received a fair hearing. Ferry Disaster Captain Escapes Death Penalty Video: Ferry Captain Escapes Death Penalty Captain in Korean ferry disaster sentenced to 36 years Captain of sunken S. Korean ferry receives 36 years in prison South Korea captain avoids death penalty in Sewol ferry disaster S. Korean ferry captain gets 36 years in prison South Korea court sentences captain, crew members in ferry disaster Sewol captain gets 36-year jail term, acquitted of murder charges Sewol trial: Ferry captain sentenced to 36 years in jail South Korean ferry captain gets 36 years in prison Korea ferry captain jailed for 36 years, acquitted of murder S. Korea ends search for bodies, ferry's captain jailed Sewol captain sentenced to 36 years Ferry captain sentenced to 36 years in prison Captain of South Korean ferry which capsized and sank sentenced to 36 years in ... South Korea court jails captain of doomed ferry for 36 years for negligence S. Korean ferry captain gets 36 years in prison Sinking of MV Sewol: South Korea ferry Captain acquitted of murder, sent to 36 ... Korea ferry captain jailed for 36 years, acquitted of murder S.Korean captain gets 36-year jail term for ferry sinking Judgement in murder trial of South Korea ferry captain South Korea court sentences captain of doomed ferry to 36 years South Korea ferry disaster captain jailed for 36 years over sinking that killed ... South Korea ferry captain jailed for 36 years, acquitted of murder South Korean ferry captain gets 36 years in prison for disaster that killed over ... S.Korea court sentences captain of doomed ferry to 36 years Captain in South Korea Ferry Tragedy Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison South Korea ferry captain jailed for 36 years as search for bodies ends Korea ferry captain jailed for 36 years, acquitted of murder Sewol trial: Ferry captain sentenced to 36 years in jail Court jails captain of capsized South Korean ferry to 36 years South Korea ferry disaster captain jailed for 36 years, acquitted of murder Judgement in murder trial of South Korea ferry captain South Korea Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty For Captain Of Doomed Ferry Lee Joon-Seok, Captain Of Doomed South Korea Ferry, Sentenced To 36 Years In Prison South Korea Ferry Disaster,South Korea Ferry Sinking,Death Penalty,Gwangju District Court,Ferry Disaster Captain Death Penalty,Death Penalty Ferry Disaster Captain,Ferry Captain Escapes Death Penalty,Captain in Korean ferry Death Penalty,Ferry Captain 36 years in prison,Sewol ferry disaster,South Korea captain death penalty,death penalty for South Korean ferry captain,South Korea death penalty for ferry captain,Lee Joon Seok,Ferry Captain Sentenced In Prison,Death Penalty Captain Of Doomed Ferry,ferry captain jailed,Korea ferry captain jailed,Sewol captain sentenced,ferry's captain jailed,Sewol trial,