"Right, @Qin Mu, I heard that as victims of theft, we can demand compensation, right?"

"Can we really get compensated? My ID card and other things are gone, and it'll take three months to replace them."

"My toothbrush cost eighty cents. How much compensation can I get?"

"Seriously? How many times the value will we get? Mine was an iPhone 13!"

"..."

Suddenly, someone in the homeowners' chat group tagged Qin Mu. Everyone joined in the discussion about demanding compensation. The act of theft was utterly despicable. It had delayed many people's affairs and wasted their time.

Qin Mu looked at the content being discussed in the chat group and, after a moment of thought, replied, "Legally, if stolen items are recovered, they should be returned directly. If they cannot be retrieved, compensation at the original price can be demanded."

"Furthermore, if the theft resulted in other indirect property losses, compensation can be claimed for those as well."

He posted the relevant content from the civil procedure law that he had memorized.

Generally speaking, civil compensation only addresses three types of torts: those involving life, body, and health. Compensation in these three categories is the most substantial. The law doesn't set an upper limit; one could even demand a hundred million.

But this case clearly did not involve life, body, or health. It was about property loss. If stolen items can be recovered, they should rightly be returned. If they cannot be recovered, the original price should be reimbursed. For any indirect losses incurred as a result, a civil lawsuit can be filed to claim compensation. Indirect losses refer to lost wages, transportation costs, and so on. For example, if an ID card was stolen, preventing someone from handling certain matters, a claim can be made within a reasonable scope. But corresponding evidence and receipts must be provided. Exorbitant demands cannot be made.

In the homeowners' chat group, after hearing Qin Mu's explanation, everyone felt somewhat disappointed. After all this fuss, they couldn't claim much compensation. Most people had lost everyday items, which were not very valuable, nor were there substantial indirect losses.

"So how long will he be sentenced? It won't just end with compensation, right? It seems the things he stole weren't that expensive."

"He's been stealing for over a month now! If he doesn't go to jail, who would feel safe living in this community anymore?"

"Even if he goes to jail, what's the use if he gets out in a few months?"

"Living with a thief nearby, I've been feeling uneasy all this time."

"..."

Subsequently, the homeowners' discussion turned to whether the thief could be sentenced to prison. Everyone hoped he would get several more years. But they had a gut feeling... Stealing these small packages might not result in a very severe sentence. The severity of theft had always been determined by the monetary value of the stolen goods.

Qin Mu offered a slight smile. The verdict will surely shock everyone when it's announced.

Single instances of theft and multiple thefts are not the same. Indeed, the value of the stolen goods determines the severity of a single act of theft. However, for multiple thefts, the starting sentence is imprisonment of up to three years.

Additionally, the nature of the different stolen items mattered.

"For instance, regarding the feedback letter sent to him (the victim) by the Financial Regulatory Authority that Xu Leshan stole, this constitutes the crime of infringement of communication freedom."

"The law defines the crime of infringing upon communication freedom as the act of concealing, destroying, or illegally opening someone else's mail. Such actions seriously infringe upon a citizen's right to freedom of communication."

"Generally speaking, multiple acts of opening someone else's mail are required to constitute this crime. But this case is special; his (the victim's) letter was a feedback letter from the Financial Regulatory Authority, which carries administrative weight. This constitutes a serious circumstance and directly constitutes the crime of infringing upon communication freedom."

"Furthermore, Xu Leshan's handling of the stolen items could also trigger charges under various other criminal laws. If he had kept the iPhone 13 for personal use, it would be one matter, but if he sold it… then he could be guilty of concealing or disguising criminal proceeds, also known as the crime of handling stolen goods."

"Criminal law stipulates that the crime of concealing or disguising criminal proceeds includes knowingly harboring, transferring, purchasing, or selling on behalf of another, the proceeds of a crime or any income generated from them. It also includes concealing or disguising them using other methods. These are common ancillary offenses that often accompany theft."

"If he sold personal information, such as identity documents… he could be guilty of the crime of infringing upon citizens' personal information."

"If he cut up or burned identity documents, this could constitute the crime of intentional destruction of property."

"Indeed. Any improper handling of stolen items can lead to a series of legal consequences."

"Regarding sentencing, the principle applied for these different crimes is cumulative sentencing, rather than applying only the most serious charge under the doctrine of 'hypothetical concurrence of offenses.' 'Hypothetical concurrence of offenses' refers to a situation where a single act violates multiple criminal laws. For example, an act of murder violates the laws against both intentional homicide and intentional assault. In such cases, only the single, more serious charge—intentional homicide—is applied."

"However, Xu Leshan's acts of stealing packages… were not a single act! He committed multiple thefts involving different packages, and his subsequent handling of each stolen package varied. Therefore, each act carries its own separate criminal charge. It all depends on the nature of the packages Xu Leshan stole and how he handled them."

"If, after stealing them, he had simply kept the items at home without doing anything with them, his culpability would be much lower. However, it was clear he wasn't going to do that."

「Jin City.」

In a certain hospital.

In a hospital ward, Xu Leshan had just come out of surgery.

"The patient needs to rest now and is expected to wake up in a few hours," the doctor seriously instructed Xu Ping and his wife.

Xu Ping swallowed hard, looking at his son, who lay comatose on the bed.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.