Two People in Their 60s Steal 660 kg of Kabocha Squash from Someone Else's Field... Plead Not Guilty, Saying, "We Thought It Was Discarded"
The court said, "The amount of kabocha squash stolen was not small."
Two people in their 60s who stole 660 kg of kabocha squash from someone else's field claimed in court that they thought it had grown on its own or been discarded, but were ultimately sentenced to prison terms suspended for one year.
According to Yonhap News Agency on October 26, Park Dong-wook, a judge presiding over Criminal Division 3 (single-judge) at the Chuncheon District Court, sentenced A, 69, and B, 66, who were indicted on special theft charges, to six months in prison, suspended for one year.
They were sent to trial on charges of stealing about 660 kg of kabocha squash on three occasions from a squash field in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, from October 31 to November 3, 2025. Investigators found that they loaded 24 sacks of squash onto a truck and fled. In court, they pleaded not guilty, saying, "We took the squash because we thought it had grown on its own or had been discarded."
However, the court determined that the defendants could have known someone was tending the field because nets had been installed to keep wild animals out. The court also cited the substantial amount of squash, 660 kg, as grounds for rejecting the claim that it had grown naturally, as well as the defendants' statements to investigators that they "brought some squash home and tried it, and since it was in good condition, took more." Given the squash's appearance and condition, the court said it was difficult to accept their claim that they had mistaken it for discarded produce.
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The court said, "The defendants' methods and the circumstances of the crime were poor, the amount of squash stolen was not small, and the victim has called for severe punishment." It added, "We determined the sentence after taking into account that some of the stolen produce was returned and that the defendants made efforts to compensate for the damage, including depositing 1.8 million won for the victim."
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