Man in His 50s Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Arson After Turning Himself In

Court: "Prior Record of Similar Crimes"

A man in his 50s who set fire to his own home in Gangseo-gu, Seoul and turned himself in has been sentenced to prison.

Seoul Southern District Court. The Asia Business Daily DB

The Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Seo Bomin) on April 28 sentenced Mr. A, a man in his 50s who was arrested and indicted on charges of arson of an inhabited building, to two years in prison.

The court stated, "After starting the fire, he made no particular effort to extinguish it or prevent the damage from spreading, and he has a prior record of punishment for similar crimes." However, the court also explained the reasoning for the sentence, noting, "No casualties resulted from this incident, and the defendant has acknowledged his wrongdoing."

Mr. A was arrested and indicted on charges of starting a fire by lighting clothing with a lighter in a multi-family house in Gangseo-gu at around 2:00 p.m. on the 3rd of last month. After the crime, he reported himself to the police by calling 112 and was apprehended at the scene by responding officers. The fire was extinguished by the fire department about 30 minutes after the report was received. While there were no casualties, household items such as a bed were burned, resulting in property damage estimated at about 16.49 million won.

Previously, during the final hearing, the prosecution had requested a sentence of three years in prison for Mr. A.

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