Lawyer: Start with legal retaliation against infidelity!

Chapter 90 Court Session Begins!

12 month 28 day.

Weather: Cloudy.

On the surface, Green Forest City was calm, but the December wind felt like a knife, turning into countless fine fishing lines that lashed at people's faces, causing pedestrians to wrap themselves up in their clothes and walk with their heads down.

On both sides of the street, steamers were rising with smoke, their neat white surfaces giving a sense of warmth. The shop owners were busy, sweating profusely and using both hands and feet.

Workers began returning to work one after another.

The chilly air gradually dissipated, and the warm sun dispelled the cold, and it was at this moment...

"Da da da..."

A series of footsteps echoed inside the Intermediate People's Court of Lusen City.

Nine o'clock in the morning.

Several judges gathered in the special case deliberation room, exchanging whispers.

"Phew, the judges in this case are under a lot of pressure. They might just have to send it back for a retrial by the High Court."

"Who says otherwise? Otherwise, we wouldn't be sitting in this office."

"No problem. If nothing unexpected happens, the verdict should be announced directly after the trial begins, based on the results of the pre-trial conference a few days ago."

"Nothing has changed in the last few days. The prosecution has not presented any proper and reasonable judicial evidence. It is probably just a continuation of the last court hearing. Therefore, this result is the fairest in a relative sense."

"Heh... eighteen years?"

"no way."

Inside the deliberation room.

Several judges sat at a long table, exchanging hushed conversations.

The number of people in the panel is small, but each one is a high-ranking and powerful individual, with the lowest-ranking member being a senior trial judge!

As for where this place is...

Naturally, it is the collegial panel concerning the "Case No. 18"!

Thinking of this, the judge below couldn't help but look up at the people in the main seats in the crowd.

There..

Several high-ranking judges were sitting there.

Looking from left to right, you will see the presiding judge Zhang Bingxin, judge Lu Guowei, and judge Zhao Xing of Case No. 18.

In addition...

Also present was the Lusen Intermediate People's Court, with President Zhang Rong, Vice Presidents, and heads of various divisions.

"Tsk..."

'

Looking at these people, the subordinates couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

In general, the deliberation room is only used by the personnel in charge of the case to discuss the case, but... something went wrong in case 18.

The first instance court gave Liu Jingqi a firm sentence!

The evidence is conclusive, and the defendant should be punished accordingly. However, the defendant is a minor, and his sentence should be reduced if he is under 18.

Moral ethics and laws clash in this way...

This immediately put the court in a precarious position, leaving it in a dilemma.

Normal sentencing? Impossible. As I said before, what is legally mandated is not a suggestion in reality, but a necessity!

According to the law, should Liu Jingqi be given a lighter sentence?

Not at all.

Two lives were lost in the incident. Although Zhao Li was not directly killed by the other party, she was still inextricably linked to Liu Jingqi!

And so.

The Trial Committee has convened!

All the top judges of the most authoritative court in Green Forest City gathered in a conference room to discuss this criminal case. The judges present were all capable of presiding over any case...

The committee meeting lasted four days.

Fortunately, we got the answer!

"Taking all factors into account, 18 years is a very reasonable range for sentencing."

"Judge Zhang, after the trial begins, you can determine the sentence to be within the range of 18 years, depending on the arguments presented by both parties."

In the main seat.

Dean Zhang Rong and Vice Dean Qian Hu spoke to Zhang Bingxin with words of comfort, their faces showing signs of weariness.

A four-day committee meeting...

More than a dozen judges suffered from the psychological torment of a disconnect between law and ethics, a torment that was incredibly distorted!

only....

Judge Lu Guowei murmured, "Only 18 years..."

'

As he spoke, he twitched the corner of his mouth and sighed deeply.

Liu Jingqi killed Yang Jiale, indirectly causing Zhao Li's death... and is also guilty of multiple crimes including robbery, intentional injury, and imprisonment...

The judge also ruled in accordance with the principle of "strictness".

But the committee only gave a result for 18!

"You can add two years too."

"Sentence him to twenty years."

Vice Dean Qian Hu patted Lu Guowei on the shoulder.

"Although it's rare... it's still within a reasonable range. You can decide based on your own judgment."

Immediately afterwards, he and Zhang Rong and the others packed their things and slowly left the meeting room.

Is adding two more years a lot? Is it fair to add up to twenty years and still get what you deserve?

How is that possible...?

Prisons are also relatively lenient in reducing sentences for minors.

How loose is it?

To put it another way, the law clearly stipulates that the standard for reducing the sentence of minors is: "confessing to the crime and showing remorse, abiding by prison rules, and participating in learning and labor". In this way, they will be directly regarded as having truly repented.

What is this?

In layman's terms, as long as you don't cause trouble, you can get a reduced sentence!

For adults seeking sentence reduction, they need to pass a rigorous assessment, which includes: points, commendations, and no disciplinary violations. Only after passing the assessment can they attempt to reduce their sentence.

Even the amount of sentence reduction varies.

If you are underage, ideally you can have your age reduced every six months, and each reduction can last for one year and six months.

What about adults? Adults get a sentence reduction every two years, and if you make a significant contribution... congratulations, you can get a sentence reduction of one year and six months as a minor would normally receive!

Furthermore, you are generally not allowed to apply for a sentence reduction within the next one year and six months to two years...

However, this "interval" law is invalid for minors.

In Liu Jingqi's ideal situation, it's truly possible to lose 6 months' worth of weight loss in 1 year and 6 months!

"18 years... Ha, those were the 18 years since the first trial, when the prosecution had the upper hand and handed down a heavy sentence."

"During the second trial... the defense attorney did speak up."

Judge Zhao Xing stood up, a sigh on his face.

Compared to half a month ago, he now appears to have aged several years, with more pronounced wrinkles on his face. He remarked with a sigh, "It will most likely be the usual 15-year sentence."

"Real sentence...8 years?"

He could serve a maximum of 8 years, or even 7 and a half years, which is half of his total sentence before being released.

Eight years later, the other party was only 24 years old. The criminal record of the minor was sealed and not made public, so it would not affect the other party's future life at all.

"At least... we didn't just issue a random verdict."

Lu Guowei stood up and offered a word of comfort, then turned to look at Zhang Bingxin, who was silent to the side.

He said, "Let's go."

"The trial will begin in a few hours. Just now, according to the notification from the other colleagues, the prosecutor and the victim's representative have arrived."

"We should start making preparations."

The words were spoken.

Zhang Bingxin remained silent for a moment, expressionless, then took a deep breath and stood up.

"This case has already been decided in his hands."

Is it against the rules?

After all, the case was already decided before the trial was even over, which is a matter of "you argue your case, I'll rule my case" in the unspoken rules.

But if you think about it carefully, it makes sense.

In a criminal case, during the deliberations in the panel, all the evidence is broken down and then examined according to the relevant laws, one by one.

If the case has been thoroughly investigated, then the corresponding sentence will naturally follow.

In this situation, if no irrefutable evidence can be produced, mere verbal arguments will naturally not prevent the verdict from being delivered.

As for the current case of the 18th Middle School.....

The prosecution did not submit any evidence, nor did the victim's legal representative.

If that's the case...

"Let's go."

Zhang Bingxin stood up, glanced at his watch, and then walked out expressionlessly.

Lu Guowei and Zhao Xing felt a chill run down their spines, their faces turned serious, and they got up and followed the other person toward the waiting room.

"Notify both parties."

"Get ready for court!"

at the same time.....

The prosecution, in the waiting room.

Several figures were resting on the sofa. Upon closer inspection, they were none other than Xu De, Huang Shi, and others.

The waiting room was quiet; no one spoke.

only.....

Huang Shi glanced sideways at Xu De beside him, his gaze sweeping from Xu De's hair to his trousers and back again.

Xu De sensed something and looked up.

Huang Shi looked away and tilted his head back to drink water.

Xu De looked down at the report in his hand.

Huang Shi glanced at him again, his gaze continuing to scrutinize him.

The atmosphere was eerie and silent, everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and the bailiffs around were seeing this scene for the first time, wondering what everyone was pondering.

until..

In a daze, a voice suddenly rang in my ears, startling me from the silence of the waiting room.

"The prosecutor and the victim's legal representative."

"Please proceed to the second courtroom to await trial!"

The group paused, then looked up at the bailiff who had spoken, before getting up and walking out on their own.

just.

Whether it was intentional or unintentional, I don't know.

The three prosecutors slowed their pace, maintaining a certain distance from Xu De and his two companions, standing behind them and constantly scanning the briefcases they were carrying and the pockets of their trousers.

Fortunately.

Xu De also knew the location of the Second Court and could find it without the other party's guidance.

"Da da..."

7

He turned a few corners and came to see a group of people in suits gathered in front of a door.

A sign reading "Second Court" hung above the door, and the people crowded at the entrance...

Reporters from major newspapers and news stations in Green Forest City, of course!

Upon hearing footsteps, everyone turned around and looked, then fell silent and quickly made way for the main path.

Xu De didn't stand on ceremony and walked directly through the center of the people on both sides.

The bailiff standing at the door quickly checked the identity before reaching out to open the door.

"Squeak!"

A sickeningly loud sound rang out, and the cold, empty Second Courtroom slowly opened through the crack in the door, revealing itself before him.

Xu De did not hesitate.

He stepped into the courtroom, followed by the crowd.

"Bang!"

The door was closed; the heavy wooden door completely severed the courtroom's connection with the outside world.

Inside the second courtroom.

In the cold and desolate trial area.

As the prosecutor and Xu De bowed and sat down, someone happened to sit down in the defendant's seat as well.

Xu De paused, raised an eyebrow, and looked over.

Immediately afterwards, the defendant's seat was filled with lawyers.

Zhang Wei and Sun Bing's faces came into view.

The number is greater than last time, and several faces have been replaced. If nothing unexpected happens... it should be all the elites from Zhenghe Law Firm.

At this moment, the other party noticed Xu De's gaze, but did not take any action. Instead, he lowered his head and silently organized the documents.

Clearly, they have devised a sound strategy centered around the core strengths of the case.

"They're fairly professional. If other people were sitting here..."

95

"I'm afraid they'll be helpless against this defensive tactic."

Xu De silently commented that there is a tactic called "parking the bus" in the football field, and naturally, there is one in the legal field as well.

Taking the Wang Mei case as an example, Xu De's "innocence" is very likely to be overturned, but if we are to be conservative, "excessive self-defense" is extremely easy and simple to justify.

The former is aggressive, while the latter is conservative; naturally, the challenges faced by opponents are different depending on the two playing styles.

Radicals rely solely on their personal abilities; if they stumble even once, all their efforts will be in vain.

Conservatism means shrinking back like a turtle. Although it may look pathetic, its shell is incredibly strong, so strong that you can't break it even with a hammer!

The scene fell silent.

Dozens of people sat in their respective seats, outwardly calm but secretly scheming against each other.

Just then...

"Please stand up."

The court clerk suddenly leaned close to the microphone and began to speak, his loud voice echoing throughout the entire trial room.

Everyone paused for a moment, then instinctively stood up.

Followed by.

"Squeak~"

The main entrance to the courtroom opened.

Three imposing figures in judges' robes slowly entered from outside the door. They stepped across the threshold, walked up the steps, and stood on the highest judge's bench in the trial area.

"Smack."

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin looked around at everyone below, then sat down in the judge's seat, which symbolized supreme power in the courtroom.

"Who else isn't ready?"

When Zhang Bingxin spoke, his tone was colder than usual, even his routine inquiry carried a hint of chill.

"The defendant is ready," Zhang Wei said first.

As for the other party...

But no sound came for a long time.

The seat for the victim's legal representative.

Xu De was waiting for Huang Shi to see if he was ready, but after a long time he did not receive a response, so he turned his head to look.

He happened to meet Huang Shi's gaze.

It was obvious that the other party was waiting for him to speak first, rather than taking the risk of speaking rashly just because the prosecutor was ready.

Although perhaps no one in the entire Eastern Kingdom could understand the meaning of these words.

Even the prosecutors never even considered it!

But Huang Shi clearly didn't want to take that risk, so he just watched Xu De silently.

"On behalf of the plaintiff..."

95

Xu De couldn't stand being stared at any longer, so he turned to look at the judge.

Although the judge did not express his opinion.

However, usually, when a judge begins to ask questions, it means that the judge is ready, and if the judge is ready, then Xu De naturally...

"We are ready."

The words were spoken.

Huang Shi breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and said, "The prosecution is ready."

Upon hearing this...

On the bench, Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin nodded, holding the indictment, and said, "This case was prosecuted by the Lusen City People's Procuratorate on November 21, 2002."

"In accordance with relevant regulations, the First Criminal Trial Division of the Intermediate People's Court of Lvsen City will conduct the trial."

"On December 17, 2002, the first trial was held. Due to unresolved issues with the evidence submitted by the victim's representative, further verification was required," and the court adjourned.

"After the court adjourned, the facts have been verified and there are no objections. Evidence may be collected."

"The Intermediate People's Court of Lusen City reconvened the trial in the Second Court on December 28, 2002, to continue its review of this case."

"It is hereby announced..."

talking.

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin paused slightly, then gripped the gavel in his right hand and slammed it down on the table.

"Bang!"

"The trial is in session!"

The four words fell.

In a daze.

The previously relaxed trial area suddenly became tense. Everyone held their breath, unconsciously clenched their hands, and their faces turned serious.

Don't give them time to react.

Another voice echoed in the room.

"Court police officer, bring the defendant into the courtroom!"

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