Man who broke into actor Nana's home and threatened her with weapon sentenced to 7 years

A man in his 30s who broke into the home of actor Nana and threatened her and her mother with a weapon has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

The first criminal division of the Namyangju branch of Uijeongbu District Court, presided over by Judge Kim Guk-sik, handed down the sentence Monday against the defendant, identified only by his surname Kim, 34. Kim had been indicted in custody on charges of robbery causing bodily harm after breaking into Nana's home and demanding money at knifepoint.

Kim denied the robbery charges and claimed Nana had attacked him first, but the court rejected his account.

Kim was brought to trial on charges of breaking into Nana's residence in Acheon-dong, Guri, Gyeonggi Province, at around 6 a.m. on Nov. 15 last year, threatening Nana and her mother with a weapon and attempting to extort money from them.

Nana and her mother subdued Kim after a violent struggle and called police. Nana, her mother and Kim all sustained injuries in the altercation.

After his detention, Kim filed a complaint against Nana on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault, claiming he had also been injured. Police declined to refer the case to prosecutors, ruling that Nana's actions constituted self-defense.

In court, Kim admitted to unlawfully entering the residence and attempting theft but denied the robbery charges. He repeatedly insisted he had not carried a weapon and that Nana's side had been the first to brandish one. He also testified that Nana had offered to tell police he had brought a weapon in exchange for 40 million won (about $25,900) to cover her mother's medical bills.

The court, however, found that the victims' detailed and consistent testimony established that Kim had entered Nana's home armed with a weapon.

The court found it proven that Kim had threatened Nana's mother with the weapon and injured her. In Nana's case, finding no intent to harm her directly, the court applied the charge of robbery causing bodily harm rather than intentional injury.

The court said Nana's act of picking up the weapon from the floor and using it against Kim constituted self-defense.

"The defendant broke into the victims' home — a place where they are entitled to absolute peace and safety — while armed with a weapon," the court said in explaining the sentence. "Given the seriousness of the crime, a commensurate punishment is unavoidable."

Prosecutors had sought a 10-year sentence for Kim at a hearing on May 19.