”To get rid of pests”... Dementia patient who burned ”250-year-old protected tree” gets ”suspended sentence” = South Korea

In South Korea, a dementia patient who burned a 250-year-old protected tree in an attempt to "eliminate pests" was given a "suspended sentence."
On the 28th, the Gwangju District Court announced that "the suspect was indicted on charges of violating the Forest Protection Act.
The court also sentenced Defendant A (63 years old) to three years in prison with four years of probation and ordered him to be placed under probation.
(Hawasun) was indicted on charges of burning a protected red-eyed willow tree in the county with a torch burner. Defendant A, who is taking medication for Alzheimer's disease, said, "I didn't know that this tree was a protected tree.
He claimed that he had simply sprayed the flames from the torch burner to drive away insects and snakes, and had no intention of burning the trees. The court ruled that Defendant A had committed the crime in a mentally impaired state due to dementia.
He admitted to the crime, but found him guilty of "reckless intent" in trying to burn down protected trees, and sentenced him to prison. The court said, "The defendant was in the process of putting out the fire, and is a recipient of basic living security benefits, so
"Given that he suffers from dementia and that local residents are calling for leniency, we decided to suspend the prison sentence," he explained.