A coroner who stole a gold necklace worn by the deceased at a death scene in Incheon was fined.
On the 27th, Judge Kim Ki-ho of the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 9 sentenced A, 34, a coroner with the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency's Forensic Science Unit who was indicted on theft charges, to a fine of 10 million won.
A was indicted on suspicion of stealing a 20-don gold necklace (market price 11 million won) that B, a man in his 50s who was found dead at a villa in Namdong District, Incheon, on Aug. 20 last year, had been wearing.
A was found to have removed the gold necklace and hidden it in a sneaker while officers who responded to the scene were checking outside the home. In a police interview, A said, "While examining the body, I suddenly got greedy."
Judge Kim said, "The defendant is a national public official performing autopsy duties and, despite being bound by a high standard of professional ethics, violated it, making the act highly blameworthy," but added, "If a sentence of imprisonment or heavier is finalized, it would constitute grounds for automatic dismissal, which seems somewhat harsh in light of the circumstances after the crime." He continued, "The defendant admits the facts of the crime and is deeply remorseful," and said, "In setting the sentence, the court considered that the stolen property was returned to the bereaved family."