pjbooks Chapter 17 I thought I had hit a speed bump
Chapter 17 I thought I had hit a speed bump
The gavel fell, and all the hushed conversations in the courtroom were instantly silenced.
Judge Li Jun remained calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"The Criminal Court of the Chuanhe District People's Court of Tongcheng City is now in session."
The court clerk completed the pre-trial verification, and the court rules were read aloud.
Li Jun's gaze fell on the defendant's dock.
"Does the defendant Zhou Hai's name, date of birth, address, and occupation match those stated in the indictment?"
Zhou Hai sat in the defendant's dock, his hair cut very short, and his face still looked sickly.
"They are consistent."
Have you received a copy of the indictment?
"received."
"Should I request recusal?"
Zhou Hai looked up at the defense table.
Wu Liang sat there, dressed in a suit, looking unusually serious and aloof, exuding the air of a legal elite.
"I won't apply."
Li Jun nodded.
"The prosecutor reads the indictment."
At the prosecutor's table, prosecutor Zhang Jian stood up to speak.
His voice was steady, his pace was appropriate, and his expression was fair and impartial.
"The defendant, Zhou Hai, male, 39 years old, is from Tongcheng City."
"This case was investigated and concluded by the Chuanhe Branch of the Tongcheng Public Security Bureau, and the defendant Zhou Hai was transferred for review and prosecution on suspicion of negligent homicide."
"After investigation in accordance with the law, it was found that at around 6:00 a.m. on August 12, 2018, the defendant Zhou Hai drove a small car out of the underground parking garage of the Luyuan residential area. When passing the exit ramp of the garage, he failed to fulfill his duty of care and failed to fully observe the road conditions ahead, resulting in the victim Liu Guifang being run over by the vehicle and dying despite rescue efforts."
The courtroom was quiet, with only the rustling sound of pages turning.
Zhang Jian continued:
"This court holds that, as a driver of a motor vehicle, the defendant Zhou Hai had a duty of care to observe carefully and ensure safety when passing through the exit of a residential garage. His negligence resulted in the serious consequence of one death, and his actions have violated Article 233 of the Criminal Law. The facts of the crime are clear, and the evidence is conclusive and sufficient. He should be held criminally liable for the crime of negligent homicide."
"Please have the court render a judgment in accordance with the law."
The words fell.
On the live streaming platform, the number of viewers in Luo Xiaoxiang's court hearing commentary room has surged to 70,000.
The court proceedings could not be shown on screen; instead, information was compiled simultaneously by print journalists who had been granted permission to attend the hearing, and then interpreted by Luo Xiaoxiang.
He looked at the content that had just appeared on the screen and nodded slightly.
"It's still manslaughter."
"This was also the direction I had previously anticipated. The fact that the prosecution did not pursue the case as a traffic accident, but instead charged it as negligent homicide, indicates that they believed there was a certain difference between the location of the incident, the pattern of behavior, and a typical road traffic accident."
The comments section was flooded with messages.
-【Isn't that all?】
- [Running someone over and then refusing to admit guilt, how shameless!]
- [How can that lawyer Wu possibly wash himself today?]
- [Severe punishment recommended!]
Luo Xiaoxiang took a sip of water and shook his head.
"Let's put aside the question of whether the sentence will be severe or not. Everyone should pay attention to this point: in cases of manslaughter, the core issue is whether the defendant was negligent in a criminal sense."
"Of course, based on the currently available information, I am still not very optimistic about the defense."
Inside the courtroom.
Li Jun looked toward the defendant's dock.
"Defendant Zhou Hai, did you hear clearly the contents of the indictment read by the prosecutor?"
"I heard you clearly."
Do you have any objections to the facts and charges against you?
Zhou Hai's Adam's apple bobbed, and he turned to look at Wu Liang, who returned a confirming look.
"My car ran over the person."
"But I plead not guilty."
The moment those words appeared, the live stream chat exploded.
-【？？？】
- [They've already admitted to running over the person, yet they still won't confess?]
-【This lawyer definitely fooled him!】
[Originally, he paid a fine and received a suspended sentence; now look what happened, he courted death.]
Luo Xiaoxiang also frowned.
"This choice is extremely risky. Zhou Hai has already admitted that the person was run over and killed by his vehicle. If the not-guilty plea fails, his attitude of admitting guilt will be a negative factor in sentencing."
Inside the courtroom, Li Jun made no comment and simply continued with the proceedings.
"The victim's close relatives and their legal representatives in the incidental civil litigation may file incidental civil litigation claims."
Sun Wei stood up.
She was dressed in business attire today, glanced at Wu Liang across from her, and gave a soft snort.
"Presiding Judge, jurors, I am here on behalf of Wang Li, a close relative of the victim Liu Guifang, to offer my opinion on the civil compensation aspect of this case."
She submitted the materials.
"The defendant Zhou Hai's actions caused Liu Guifang's death, and he should bear the liability for compensation according to law."
"Liu Guifang was 72 years old when she died. According to the Civil Code of Japan, the defendant should pay death compensation..."
She read out a long string of numbers clearly, and with each number she read, Wu Liang's eyebrows rose a little.
"Furthermore, the victim's death has caused immense mental anguish to the family, and we are demanding 100 million yuan in compensation for mental distress."
"Total... 1516013 yuan."
The moment the number was announced, even some members of the jury gasped.
Wu Liang didn't react much, his gaze meeting Sun Wei's provocative eyes.
Wow, is this woman holding a grudge?
The live stream chat exploded as if a floodgate had been kicked open.
[Robbery? 1.5 million?]
[One million yuan in compensation for emotional distress? Why doesn't she just ask for a building?]
No, I support the family, but isn't this number too alarming?
Luo Xiaoxiang was also taken aback when he saw the amount.
"Well... how should I put it?"
He put down his thermos.
"The first 500,000 or so was calculated based on death compensation, funeral expenses, and reasonable expenditures, so at least there is a formal basis for the calculation. But the 1 million for mental distress compensation is an extremely aggressive amount."
"Especially since this case is a criminal case with attached civil litigation, there is a great deal of uncertainty as to whether and how much compensation for mental distress can be awarded."
"The victim's side has factored in the emotional value as well."
He put it tactfully.
The comments were very direct.
[Translation: Asking for an exorbitant amount.]
Is Wang Li trying to achieve financial freedom by relying on her mother-in-law?
I felt sorry for her a few days ago, but now...
Inside the courtroom, Wang Li kept her head down, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Sun Wei continued:
"Although the victim, Liu Guifang, was elderly, her right to life is equally protected by law. Her death was caused by the defendant's negligent driving, and her family has suffered immense pain from the loss of a loved one. We request the court to support our claims in accordance with the law."
Li Jun took a moment to note, then looked up at the defendant.
"Do the defendant and their counsel have any objections to the facts alleged in the indictment, the charges, and the accompanying civil claims?"
Zhou Hai did not answer immediately, but turned to look at Wu Liang.
All eyes turned to Wu Liang.
Wu Liang stood up, first straightened his suit jacket buttons, and then nodded slightly toward the judge's bench.
"Your Honor, our opinion is rather simple."
Li Jun looked at him.
"Please publish."
Wu Liang opened the case file.
"First, Liu Guifang was indeed run over and killed by Zhou Hai's vehicle, and we have no objection to that."
Someone in the audience gasped softly.
The live stream chat paused for a moment.
-【ah?】
-【So you're just admitting it?】
- [Isn't it a not guilty plea?]
Luo Xiaoxiang raised an eyebrow.
"This approach is correct. There's no need to argue about the fact of death and the fact of vehicle contact; arguing about it would only make one appear unprofessional."
Wu Liang continued:
"Secondly, we have no objection to the discovery of the victim's blood and tissue residue in Zhou Hai's vehicle."
Zhang Jian looked up and glanced at him.
Sun Wei also frowned slightly.
You recognized him so readily?
Then what are you arguing about?
Wu Liang closed the case file, looked up, and his eyes were bright and alert.
"However, on the third point, we have serious objections to the prosecution's charge that Zhou Hai committed manslaughter by negligence."
"Because the first two pieces of evidence can only prove one thing."
"Liu Guifang was run over and killed by Zhou Hai's car."
He paused briefly.
"But that doesn't prove anything else."
"Zhou Hai should have known, or could have known, that there was a person lying in front of his car."
The courtroom fell silent.
Upon seeing Wu Liang's defense statement, Luo Xiaoxiang sat up straighter.
"They're here."
"A point of contention has emerged."
Wu Liang turned around and looked at the defendant's seat.
"Zhou Hai, I have a question for you."
Li Jun reminded him:
"The defense attorney's questions should be focused on the facts of the case."
"clear."
Wu Liang nodded, then looked at Zhou Hai.
"At the time of the incident, you drove out of the garage ramp, and the vehicle jolted. What did you think you had run over?"
Zhou Hai was stunned for a moment.
He remembered that morning.
He was rushing to work, and his car slowly climbed the hill.
As the front of the car went over the slope, the front wheels jolted, but very slightly.
Like the kind that happens every morning.
He raised his head, looked at Wu Liang, and then looked at the judge's bench.
The sound carried clearly throughout the entire courtroom.
"...I thought I had run over a speed bump."