METRO VANCOUVER — The man responsible for keying hundreds of cars in the Lower Mainland will get time to think about his crime behind bars.

Last week, Soo Yo Kim, 37, pleaded guilty in a New Westminster court to one count of mischief to property over $5,000.

The Coquitlam man was sentenced to three months in jail and three years probation.

The conviction stems from an arrest by New Westminster Police back in November when he was caught vandalizing 63 vehicles in that city and another 66 in Burnaby.

Coquitlam RCMP confirmed part of the charge also includes a car-keying spree in the Tri-Cities from last spring.

In April, more than 100 cars were keyed in southwest Coquitlam, while ICBC received 120 claims from the incidents, with repair costs in the ballpark of $230,000.

RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung said local Mounties worked with the New West police department and ICBC on the file, adding police are pleased with the conclusion of the case.

"This is a pretty severe jail sentence," he said, adding that bringing every investigation to a resolution is always the goal.

"Given the seriousness of the charges, I think people will be relieved to see he won't be out for a few months scratching cars."

In 2006, he pled guilty to two counts of mischief after he was caught scratching or keying vehicles in Port Coquitlam.

In 2008, police arrested Kim after allegedly watching him scratch a car in East Vancouver. He was charged with two counts of mischief from that night, in which 100 cars in the area were keyed.

Investigators believe Kim was responsible for keying more than 400 cars in Vancouver at the time, and suspected him in some 600 incidents in Coquitlam and Burnaby earlier that year.

For its part, ICBC said Kim has cost the insurance corporation $650,000 in claims and another $250,000 in outstanding claims.

ICBC customers have also spent $35,000 on deductibles related to Kim's crimes.

An ICBC spokesperson said the corporation is still exploring options for recovering the costs from the case.

According to ICBC, the average vandalism claim costs approximately $1,000 in B.C., but the cost could be higher or lower depending on the vehicle.

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