An Incheon forensic investigator was fined 10 million won ($6,800) for stealing a gold necklace from the body of a man found dead at a villa, a local court said Monday.
The Incheon District Court convicted the investigator, a civil servant in his 30s assigned to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency’s forensic investigation unit, of theft.
He was indicted on charges of taking a 30-don, or 112.5-gram, gold necklace worth about 20 million won from the neck of a man in his 50s who was found dead at a villa in Mansu-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, on Aug. 20 last year.
The investigator’s job was to assist death investigations by examining bodies at scenes of unexplained deaths and helping determine the cause of death.
The theft came to light after investigators compared photos taken at the scene. Images taken earlier by a detective from Namdong Police Station showed the necklace around the dead man’s neck, but photos later taken by the forensic team showed it missing.
The court found that the investigator removed the necklace while other officers were interviewing the person who had reported the death near the villa. He then hid it inside his shoe.
Judge Kim Ki-ho said the defendant deserved criticism because he violated the high ethical standards required of a public official responsible for examining bodies at death scenes.
But the court also noted that the investigator admitted the facts of the case, expressed remorse, returned the necklace to the bereaved family and reached a settlement with them.
The judge said he also considered that a prison sentence or heavier punishment, if finalized, would result in the investigator’s automatic dismissal from public service, which could be “somewhat harsh” given the circumstances of the case.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI. -- Ed.
hnpark@heraldcorp.com
