"Thinking It Was His Own Home..." 70s Man Sentenced for Repeatedly Attempting to Break Into a Woman's House Alone at Midnight

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[Asia Economy Reporter Su-mi Hwang] A man in his 70s who attempted to break into the home of a woman living alone in the same building late at night was sentenced to prison.

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 5 (Judge Jun-hyuk Kim) announced on the 5th that A (74), who was tried for attempted trespassing, was sentenced to six months in prison.

According to legal sources, on March 8th at 11:19 p.m., A tried to enter the victim's home in another unit of a multi-family house in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, where he lived.

Starting from the first incident, A was investigated to have attempted to break into the victim's home a total of five times between March and April by pulling the front door handle or trying to open the door with a key he had. Fortunately, the door did not open due to the lock.

During the trial, A denied the charges, claiming that he mistook the victim's home for his own and that "trying to open the front door was a mistake." He also claimed that dementia or alcoholism led to the crime.

However, the court did not accept A's claims. The court judged him guilty considering that A had lived in the multi-family house for over 20 years and was well aware of the building's structure and surrounding geography, and although A and the victim lived in the same building, they had different entrances, making it unlikely to cause confusion.

Furthermore, the court explained that it was hard to believe his claims given that A repeatedly tried to enter in the same way, checked the front door with a flashlight he carried, and there was no evidence recognizing dementia or alcoholism.

Additionally, the court pointed out, "Repeated attempts to break into a residence where a woman lives alone at night are inherently serious offenses that could lead to more severe crimes, requiring strict punishment." It added, "A did not admit his wrongdoing during the investigation and trial and only offered unconvincing excuses. However, considering the lack of prior criminal records, the fact that the crime was only attempted, and the motive, means, and consequences of the crime, the sentencing was determined."