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CHRISTCHURCH - An online auction cheat will be leaving New Zealand soon - after he has paid $9083 back to his six victims.
Youngwu Jin, a young student from Korea doing tertiary studies in Christchurch, will be sent home after admitting charges of accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose.
"His removal from New Zealand is inevitable and imminent," defence counsel Leuatea Iosefa told Judge John Strettell when Jin was sentenced in Christchurch District Court today.
"His family has invested considerable time and money and effort into moving him to New Zealand to be educated. That has now been lost,"said Mr Iosefa.
Jin had been living in Christchurch with his mother, while his father continued to work in Korea.
Judge Strettell noted Jin had used the money he cheated from online customers to improve his car, and wondered whether the car should be sold rather than have the family pay the reparations.
But Mr Iosefa said the money was available to pay the reparations immediately, and the family had provided the car in any case.
Jin put up goods on two online auction sites, and people bought them and sent the money. Jin never had the goods to sell. He was easily caught because he had used his real name.
When he was confronted with the offending, he said he did it because it was easy money.
"That concerned me because it suggested a lack of any remorse and lack of any empathy with the victims," the judge said.
Such offending could cause people to lack confidence and trust, and cost them money.
He said people who offended in this way not only opened themselves to civil claims, but were equally liable in a criminal court.
"Had you been a resident of New Zealand I would have imposed an additional penalty to hold you accountable, and as a deterrent," he said.
Instead, Jin, who holds a student permit to be in New Zealand, was convicted and ordered to pay the reparation of $9083 before he left the court.
- NZPA
