Thief who stole from restaurants with a master key sentenced to prison in appeal trial

The Gwangju High Court's 2nd Criminal Division dismissed the appeal of a man in his 40s, identified as A, who was charged with violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, and sentenced him to 4 years in prison.

A was accused of breaking into three restaurants located in Nam-gu, Gwangsan-gu, and Buk-gu, Gwangju in August last year, stealing 400,000 won in cash. He targeted the stores during the early morning hours when there were few people around, using a master key to unlock the door and entering through the front entrance.

He committed the crime by taking cash from the safe at the cash register.

A used a single key to rob the three stores. He had a criminal record with seven previous offenses for similar crimes, including a 2-year prison sentence for habitual nighttime burglary in 2016 and a 3-year sentence for theft in 2018. It was revealed that he committed the theft just over 50 days after being released from prison.

The appeal court stated, "The defendant's awareness of the law is extremely weak, and there is little indication of remorse. He boldly committed theft using a professional method." The court added, "While it is acknowledged that the defendant's repeated prison terms have impaired his adaptability to society, the sentence from the original trial is not deemed excessive."

The court confiscated the key used by A in the crime. This case has raised social awareness due to the repeated nature of the thefts and the boldness of the methods used.

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