Avondale student to appeal jail term for stabbing teacher

Tae Won Chung. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A South Korean international student convicted of injuring his schoolteacher after he admitted stabbing him in the classroom in March has been sentenced to 18 months jail.

Tae Won Chung, 17, in May pleaded guilty to a charge of injuring with intent after admitting he stabbed Avondale College teacher Dave Warren. Mr Warren, 49, was stabbed in the back during a lesson.

Chung plans to appeal his sentence.

The Korean student jailed for stabbing his teacher will appeal his sentence.

Chung's lawyer, David Jones QC, told the Auckland District Court that the catalyst for the violent attack was culturally insensitive comments by the victim Mr Warren, the day before the school attack.

The day before the attack the teacher made comments to Chung about possible conscription to the Korean Army and about a possibility of North Korea attacking South Korea.

The court was told this left Chun "festering" with anger and he took a knife with him to school the next day.

The Crown said the stabbing was premeditated and that Mr Warren's comments couldn't be seen as provocation.

Mr Warren was writing on a whiteboard with his back to the class when Chung stabbed him. Chung fled the school grounds and was arrested by police at a house in Blockhouse Bay.

In a written statement, soon after the incident, Chung's father said the stabbing had "broke his heart" and that his son had been feeling isolated in New Zealand and distressed because of the language barrier.

Avondale College principal Brent Lewis wrote to parents of the college back in March. He said he had visited Mr Warren in hospital. He said Mr Warren told him that he held no malice towards his attacker and saw it as a "one in a million" incident.

"Mr Warren also said he was very concerned that the boy was in jail, and he was very concerned for his welfare," he said.