Man in His 30s Sentenced to One Year for Entering Neighbor’s Home Through Rooftop Window, Turning Off Pet Cam and Stealing Money

[Financial News] A man in his 30s was sentenced to prison after descending from a villa rooftop toward a neighbor’s window, breaking into the home, turning off the pet cam, and stealing cash.
The Seoul Southern District Court’s Criminal Division 13, presided over by Judge Nam Min-young, sentenced Choi, 38, who had been indicted and detained on charges of residential trespass and theft, to one year in prison on the afternoon of the 11th. 
The court found Choi guilty on all charges. It noted, "He committed the crime again while serving a suspended sentence for a similar offense," adding, "The victim has suffered not only financial losses but also severe psychological distress and is petitioning for severe punishment."
However, the court took into account as mitigating factors that Choi confessed and expressed remorse, and that he deposited 500,000 won with the court for the victim.
Choi was indicted on charges of entering the home of a victim who lived upstairs in a villa in Doksan-dong, Geumcheon District, Seoul, on the morning of March 27 and stealing several hundred thousand won in cash.
Investigators found that Choi climbed onto the villa’s rooftop, descended toward the victim’s window, and entered the home. He had previously learned through the villa’s group chat that a pet cam had been installed in the victim’s home. Immediately after breaking in, he cut power to the entire house, disabling the pet cam.
The circuit breaker was reportedly concealed behind a framed picture, making its location difficult to identify unless one lived in the same villa.
Seoul Geumcheon Police Station identified Choi as a suspect by comparing the times recorded in alerts on the victim’s phone showing when the pet cam connection was interrupted and restored with the times Choi was captured entering and leaving the villa on CCTV. Police also determined that footprints found on the victim’s balcony matched the tread pattern of Choi’s shoes, and they arrested him urgently on March 31.
At the final hearing on the 28th of last month, prosecutors sought a two-year prison sentence, citing his reoffending while serving a suspended sentence for a similar crime and his failure to reach a settlement with the victim.
Choi’s attorney argued that the amount stolen was small and that the crime had been committed impulsively, asking the court for leniency. In his final statement, Choi said, "I sincerely apologize to the victim, who was hurt and now feels anxious even in the home where she should have felt safe," adding, "I am ashamed of and resent myself for failing to think of the victim and her young daughter at the moment I committed the crime."

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