A 30-year-old man surnamed A who broke into broadcaster Park Na-rae's home and stole goods worth tens of millions of won has had a two-year prison sentence upheld.
On the 20th, according to legal sources, on the 16th the Supreme Court 1st Division (Presiding Justice Shin Sook-hee) dismissed A's appeal in a case in which he was charged with theft and nighttime trespass and affirmed the lower court's ruling that sentenced him to two years in prison.
Earlier, A was sent to trial on charges that in April last year he broke into Park Na-rae's home in Yongsan-gu and stole goods worth tens of millions of won and fled. A also put items stolen from Park Na-rae's home up for sale as stolen goods.
In September last year the first trial court sentenced him to two years in prison, explaining the sentence by saying the defendant admitted the charges and returned the goods to the victim, but noting that the defendant had previous convictions of the same kind, the stolen items were considerably expensive and the victim had petitioned for severe punishment.
Afterwards A appealed the verdict, but in February the second trial court, like the first instance, sentenced him to two years in prison.
In his final statement A asked for leniency, saying, "I sincerely apologize to the victims and ask for their forgiveness. During the police investigation I voluntarily turned over the items I had, and I am repaying the damages. Please allow me to rejoin society a little earlier so I can properly make amends for the harm."
However, the court dismissed the appeal, saying, "Considering that the crime was committed during a suspended sentence period and that there is no significant change in circumstances compared with the first trial, it is difficult to see the lower court's sentence as outside a reasonable range."
[photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]