Chapter 155: Chapter 123: An Unprecedented Judgment
"Three years ago, the married couple Jia Zuoying and Wang Fenlan occupied a house owned by Zhang Tao, employing violent methods to break in and illegally dwell there, qualifying their actions as robbery.
"The criminal facts are clear, supported by property management testimonies and neighbor testimonies, providing a sufficient chain of evidence with no doubts in the case.
"The court believes that since it constituted a residential robbery that lasted for three years and involved a house of significant value, it is a particularly severe case. Therefore, the court legally sentences them to a fixed-term imprisonment of twelve years."
"Three years ago, the married couple Jia Zuoying and Wang Fenlan also refused to comply with the civil judgment of the court, neither compensating nor vacating..."
Zhou Quanmin declared in a deep voice. Each word resonated powerfully, echoing clearly in the courtroom.
In total, eight charges were listed.
The adjudication of this case was not complicated, as the facts were clear, evidence collection was straightforward, and there was little contention. Thus, the efficiency of the trial was considerably higher than Liang Shuqi’s case. The verdict was delivered in court.
Furthermore, in the sentencing, considering their reprehensible behavior over the past three years and their conduct in court, an additional two years were added to each charge.
These additions were within the powers and responsibilities of the collegiate bench. Within the boundaries allowed by law, they could adjust the sentencing based on the severity of the conduct. All they needed to do when deciding on the sentence was to clarify the reasoning and rationale.
And as for reasons and rationale, Jia Zuoying and Wang Fenlan had provided more than one.
"The court believes that the defendants Jia Zuoying and Wang Fenlan committed the crimes of illegal home invasion, robbery, defiance of court orders, extortion, disrupting court order, insult, false accusations, and intimidation.
"The cumulative sentence being thirty-three years, according to the general sentencing rules of criminal law, sentences Jia Zuoying to twenty years in prison, compensates the plaintiff Zhang Tao for emotional distress, lost wages, and nutritional expenses amounting to 130,000 yuan, and orders the confiscation of all their properties.
"Wang Fenlan is sentenced to twenty years in prison and confiscation of all properties."
"This judgment shall take effect from the day it is issued, and if you disagree, an appeal can be made to the superior court."
It took a full fifteen minutes to read before this "catalog of crimes" verdict was fully pronounced.
Suddenly, the courtroom fell utterly silent. Everyone’s reactions varied.
In the plaintiff’s section, Zhang Tao’s eyes were red, and he could barely believe the outcome.
It had been three years. His ordeal... seemed to be ending.
And yet, this had little to do with him; he had merely attended court. The rest was all the doing of this couple. They not only refused to hire a lawyer but also disrupted the court proceedings, disregarding the judicial process.
In the end... a twenty-year criminal sentence was handed down.
In the public gallery, Old Zhang and the others paused for a moment, then burst into impassioned discussion.
The spectacle... had completely exceeded their imagination, far more thrilling than anticipated! It wasn’t just the sentencing. The entire process was high-octane, constantly veering in unexpected directions. Twenty years of imprisonment! If it were them, they’d have to kill at least a few people to earn such a penalty, right? And the confiscation of all property—that was a ’perk’ not everyone received. Only those guilty of heinous crimes or massive corruption were ’honored’ with such treatment. Yet Jia Zuoying and his wife had achieved these infamous distinctions with ease!
After witnessing various defendants in court, they no longer dared to act high and mighty, boasting about their extensive experience.
It just proved that a large forest truly does house all kinds of birds.
"To think it went straight to the maximum penalty..." Qin Mu also couldn’t help but remark.
According to his calculations, if the two had shown a good attitude and pleaded guilty, it was entirely possible their sentence could have been reduced to fifteen years. After all, though these were criminal cases, they didn’t involve particularly brutal assault. A fifteen-year term would have been sufficient punishment. But... the two clearly hadn’t realized the gravity of their actions and had recklessly violated criminal laws, almost pushing their potential cumulative sentence to over thirty-five years! If it had reached thirty-five years, their actual sentences would most likely have been around twenty-five years, which isn’t much different from a life sentence.
"Lawyer Zhang, are you feeling a bit unwell?" Qin Mu suddenly turned and looked at Zhang Wei, whose expression was somewhat off.
Zhang Wei let out a dry laugh and shook his head.
This court session had delivered one shock after another. It was more thrilling than a roller coaster ride! He increasingly felt that his decision not to defend these two had been incredibly wise.
Just as he stood up, preparing to leave the courtroom, over in the defendants’ dock, Jia Zuoying and Wang Fenlan, who were being approached by the bailiffs, began to struggle and shout again.
"Twenty years? On what grounds do you sentence us to twenty years?!"
"You’re all colluding, bullying us common folk! We want to appeal!"
"We didn’t do anything! Why sentence us to twenty years? Even on TV, murderers only get a little over a decade!"
"Get away! Don’t come near me!"
"..."
While resisting the bailiffs, they started to cry foul and proclaim their innocence, simultaneously eyeing the courtroom door, attempting to break free and escape.
But... the bailiffs weren’t just for show. They quickly and efficiently restrained the two.
Zhou Quanmin, who had not yet left the courtroom, witnessed their actions and said sternly, "If you object to this judgment, you may appeal to the higher court within fifteen days!"
This was merely the first-instance judgment. Those who disagreed with the verdict had the right to a second-instance trial. If an appeal was filed within fifteen days, this court would transfer the complete case files, records of the trial proceedings, the verdict, all evidence, and the defendants to the higher court.