Middle School Students Sentenced to Prison for Robbing Convenience Store and Breaking Owner's Ribs

At Convenience Store in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, 250,000 Won Cash and 34 Packs of Cigarettes Stolen
Court: "Victim Suffered Injuries Requiring 4 Weeks of Treatment, Crime Very Serious"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The court sentenced three middle school students who were tried for committing robbery at a convenience store and assaulting the store owner to prison terms.

The Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Chief Judge Shin Hyuk-jae) announced on the 24th that it sentenced Kim (15), who was detained and indicted on charges including special robbery, confinement, theft, and illegal use of a motorized bicycle, to 2 years and 6 months in prison (2 years long term and 1 year 6 months short term) and a fine of 300,000 won.

Additionally, Jeong (15) and Lee (15), who were indicted without detention on charges including special robbery, confinement, and robbery-related injury, were each sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation and 2 years in prison with a 3-year probation, respectively.

They were detained and indicted on charges of entering a convenience store in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, around 1:20 a.m. on March 2, stealing about 250,000 won in cash and 34 packs of cigarettes (worth approximately 153,000 won), confining and assaulting the store owner A (60). During this incident, A suffered injuries including broken ribs, requiring about 4 weeks of treatment.

Kim, who led the crime, was investigated to have meticulously prepared for the crime in advance, including scouting the convenience store beforehand.

The court also recognized Kim's guilt for stealing motorcycles twice in February and on the day of the crime and driving without a license.

The court stated, "The defendants committed a special robbery at night in a convenience store where an elderly female victim was working alone, causing injuries requiring about 4 weeks of treatment, which is a very serious offense. In Kim's case, he has a prior record of juvenile protection measures and committed the crime without reforming during probation, making severe punishment unavoidable."

However, the court explained the sentencing reasoning by saying, "Considering that the defendants are still juveniles with opportunities to grow into healthy members of society and that they have admitted all their crimes and expressed remorse, these factors were taken into account favorably in sentencing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.