Closely Tailed Car to Exit Before Barrier Came Down
Court Suspends 1 Million Won Fine
A woman in her 30s who repeatedly evaded parking fees by closely following the car in front and exiting the parking lot before the barrier came down has received a suspended sentence from the court. The court decided to show leniency, taking into account that the defendant admitted to the crime and fully compensated the damages.
According to the legal community on October 12, the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 10 (Judge Sung Jun-gyu) suspended a fine of 1 million won for Ms. A (32), who was indicted on charges of fraudulent use of convenience facilities.
Ms. A was brought to trial on charges of evading parking fees a total of 37 times over about four months, from September 5 last year to January 11 this year, at a paid parking lot in an officetel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. She exited the lot in her Ferrari by closely tailing a vehicle that had made a proper payment, preventing the barrier from coming down, and through this method, she avoided paying a total of 1,111,000 won in parking fees.
During the investigation, records of parking lot entries and exits, CCTV footage, and a petition from the parking management company were submitted as evidence. Ms. A admitted to all charges and fully compensated the damages, and the victim company also expressed that it did not wish to pursue punishment.
"Leniency Granted in Consideration of Full Compensation and Remorse"
The court stated the reasons for sentencing as follows: "Although the duration and frequency of the crime are not insignificant, we considered that the defendant fully admitted to the crime and showed deep remorse, that the damages were fully compensated and the parking management company does not wish to pursue punishment, and that there is no prior criminal record."
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