40-Year-Old Man Given Suspended Sentence for Secretly Entering Woman's Home Where She Lived Alone for 4 Months

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] A man in his 40s who was prosecuted for stalking, including secretly entering the home of a woman living alone for four months, avoided a prison sentence in the first trial.

According to the legal community on the 23rd, Judge Hong Soon-wook of the Criminal Division 5 at the Seoul Northern District Court sentenced Mr. A, a man in his 40s who was detained and indicted on charges of violating the Stalking Punishment Act and trespassing, to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation on the 19th. Additionally, he was ordered to undergo 1 year of probation, complete a stalking recidivism prevention lecture, and perform 80 hours of community service.

The court explained the sentencing by stating, "The victim suffered serious mental damage due to the stalking and trespassing crimes and wishes for punishment of Mr. A," but also noted, "Mr. A made a partial criminal deposit for the victim and has no other criminal record."

Mr. A is accused of unlawfully entering the victim’s officetel located in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, and stalking her nine times from February to May last year. It is known that Mr. A, who worked as a sales office employee, took the victim’s card key when she moved in in 2019. The victim was living alone in the officetel.

In May last year, after the victim left for work, Mr. A entered the officetel as usual. However, the crime was discovered when he encountered a friend of the victim who was still at home. The victim then reported to the police, and Mr. A’s crime was revealed through closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

Mr. A was charged with violating the Stalking Punishment Act for unlawfully entering the victim’s home and secretly watching her leave for work. It was also reported that Mr. A committed obscene acts in the victim’s home. However, investigations confirmed that he did not commit illegal filming crimes.