I have gone to settings, but there is no option to turn it all the way off. There are time increments and "always on," but no option to turn it off during charging.
When the charging icon is up, the screen will always stay lit. However, if you push 'A' you will go into the menu. Your Gemei will continue charging and the screen will turn off after the time you set in "Backlight Settings."
I am a little curious about the damage to your screen. Do you think you could send a photo?
Kind of hate to have my stupidity plastered on the net for all eternity, lol, but if you can get something use full out of it I guess it's all right. Here is a pic, a little out of focus, but I think you can clearly see the little white lines running along the bottom of the screen. A buddy of mine who fixes mobiles told me that it's due to over heating. Didn't even have the console a week and I trashed the screen