A pregnant woman in her twenties was sentenced to prison for stealing an expensive watch after engaging in prostitution.

According to the legal community on the 11th, Judge Choi Chi-bong of the Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court recently sentenced A (28) to one year in prison for violations of the Act on the Punishment of Theft and the Act on the Punishment of Prostitution Mediation.

A was brought to trial for stealing a high-end watch worth approximately 8 million won from B's home in Namyangju City around 5 a.m. on March 19, while B was asleep.

During the police investigation, it was confirmed that A had engaged in sexual relations with B in exchange for money before the incident, which added charges of prostitution.

Prior Criminal Record and Risk of Recidivism Affected Sentencing

Notably, A had previously been sentenced to two years in prison for fraud in 2023 and had been released last November. It was revealed that she committed another crime during her probation period.

Moreover, A was found to have sold the stolen expensive watch immediately and spent all the proceeds on entertainment.

In the ruling, Judge Choi stated, "The defendant has been living without a clear job or residence, defrauding people in various ways to gain financial benefits," and noted, "There are numerous previous offenses for theft of others' property, and the fact that all proceeds from the stolen watch were spent on entertainment shows a serious level of criminality. The lack of victim restitution and sufficient risk of recidivism were considered in the sentencing."

Meanwhile, A's family submitted a request for suspension of her sentence upon confirming that she was pregnant. However, the request was dismissed as it did not meet the criteria for suspension, such as being over six months pregnant. Consequently, A will serve her sentence while pregnant.

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