A married couple who checked in as motel guests and stole computer parts from rooms has been sentenced to prison terms.
On the 3rd, according to legal sources, Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 6 single-judge Director General Back Kyung-hyun on the previous day sentenced a man in his 30s, identified as A, to two years in prison and a woman in her 40s, identified as B, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and 80 hours of community service, on charges including special theft.
The couple was brought to trial on charges that in February they booked motels in Daejeon, Seoul, and Incheon, dismantled room computers with tools prepared in advance, and stole parts including graphics cards, memory cards, and keyboards, worth a total of 8 million won, on six occasions.
It was found that they committed the crimes to resell the stolen computer parts.
Separately, A, the husband, was also indicted on charges including stealing cigarettes from a convenience store and swindling 100,000 won by falsely claiming to sell an online game account.
The court said, "The number of offenses A committed is high, the methods varied, and A has a record of a fine for a similar crime, so strict punishment is warranted," but also noted, "The court took into account as favorable factors that A admitted to all the crimes, compensated some theft victims, and reached settlements."
Regarding B, the court added, "In light of the number of offenses and the methods, the culpability is not light," but also considered as favorable circumstances that "apart from a prior fine of 1 million won for fraud, there are no other criminal records yet."
A and B appealed the first-trial verdict.