A man in his 50s was sentenced to prison for stealing strawberries from a farm in Gimhae, Gyeongnam Province.
On the 27th, presiding judge Kim Sungjin of the Changwon District Court Criminal Division 4 sentenced Mr. A, who was brought to trial on charges of aggravated theft, to two years in prison.
According to the court, Mr. A was accused of stealing strawberries on four occasions between December last year and January this year.
He broke into a strawberry greenhouse in Hallim-myeon, Gimhae, at around 3 a.m. on December 28 last year, stealing 40 kg of strawberries worth about 800,000 won. By January 12, he had made off with a total of 100 kg of strawberries worth approximately 1,940,000 won.
As a neighbor, Mr. A targeted the greenhouse at night when there were few people around, taking advantage of the poorly secured locks.
It was found that he continued the theft over several hours to avoid detection, making it difficult for him to be caught easily.
He had previously been sentenced to prison for aggravated theft and other crimes more than three times, and committed this crime again during his repeat offender period.
The court stated, "Despite having been sentenced to prison multiple times in the past for similar crimes, he committed another offense just about four months after being released. We also considered the fact that he did not reach a settlement with the victim or make any particular effort to compensate for the damages," explaining the reasons for sentencing.
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