A man in his 50s from South Korea has been sentenced to four years in prison after secretly mixing sleeping pills into chocolate eaten by his girlfriend, then transferring 15 million won (about NT$327,000 or RM47,000) from her bank account while she was unconscious.
According to The Korea Herald, the incident took place at a hotel in Gwangju’s Gwangjin District on March 15 around 4 p.m. The man allegedly blended chocolate with a sleeping medication containing zopiclone and gave it to his girlfriend in her 40s. After she fell asleep, he unlocked her phone using her fingerprint, checked her private messages, and, over five separate transactions, moved a total of 15 million won into his own account.
Prosecutors said the man acted out of jealousy after suspecting his girlfriend of cheating and overhearing her speaking with another man. The first trial court ruled that drugging someone with psychiatric medication while still in a relationship, then using their fingerprint to unlock a phone and steal funds, constituted a serious crime beyond ordinary comprehension. The court noted his criminal history and described his methods as malicious and grave.
He was convicted of robbery, assault, and violating information and communications laws, receiving a four-year prison sentence. He appealed, but the Gwangju High Court upheld the original verdict, stating that despite a lack of detailed planning, his past criminal record increased his culpability.
