Stealing Two Dogs and Injuring Owner by Knocking Them Down
Court Considers That the Crime Was Not for Personal Gain
A woman in her 50s who was prosecuted for theft, including stealing someone else's dogs, had her prison sentence suspended. It was taken into consideration that she committed the crime to rescue abused dogs.
The 11th Criminal Division of Daegu District Court (Chief Judge Lee Jong-gil) announced on the 25th that “A (57), an animal protector indicted on charges of special theft, had the sentence of 6 months imprisonment suspended.”
A was prosecuted on charges of stealing two dogs from the victim's farm shed in Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongbuk, around 11:10 a.m. on February 18, 2021, along with B. It is known that A conspired with B to commit the crime after learning through social networking services (SNS) that the victim's dogs were being raised in poor conditions.
A was also indicted on charges of injuring the victim. The victim tried to stop A while A was stealing the dogs and getting into the vehicle, but A started the vehicle knowing that the victim was holding onto the driver's door handle. As a result, the victim fell to the ground and suffered a fracture requiring six weeks of medical treatment.
The court ruled, “The crime of stealing the dogs with B by dividing roles is of a serious nature, and the extent of the victim's damage cannot be considered minor.”
However, the court explained the reasons for sentencing, stating, “Considering the circumstances that warrant leniency, the fact that it appears to be a case of conditional intent, the fact that the crime was committed with the intention of rescuing abused dogs, and that A fully covered the medical expenses for the rescued dogs, it does not appear that the crime was committed for personal gain.”
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