This situation had also exceeded his expectations.

This Xu Leshan's luck... is truly terrible, isn't it?

His lips twitched.

Technically speaking, theft was generally punishable by no more than three years in prison.

Xu Leshan, who had obtained the understanding of most people, would likely not be sentenced to more than two years at most.

But now...

His act of opening packages like mystery boxes had revealed a series of "materials."

These materials included official government documents, business secrets, and important personal items like ID cards...

This caused the number of crimes he was suspected of to increase dramatically.

Article 280 of the Criminal Law stipulates that the crimes of theft, robbery, or destruction of official documents, certificates, and seals of state organs involve the secret theft, public seizure, or destruction and loss of said items.

In terms of the criteria for prosecution, this case was specifically designated as an offense of conduct.

This meant that as soon as the act was committed, criminal liability had to be pursued.

Among the packages he had opened, there were four official documents, constituting multiple and repeated acts of theft.

According to relevant judicial provisions, such behavior was considered severe and warranted a sentence of three to ten years of fixed-term imprisonment.

In addition, Article 219 of the Criminal Law stipulates that the crime of infringing on trade secrets is the act of obtaining the trade secrets of a rights holder through theft, enticement, coercion, or other improper means.

He also met the constituent elements for the crimes of intentional destruction of property and infringement upon citizens' freedom of communication.

In fact, the most serious charge was for the theft, robbery, or destruction of official documents, certificates, and seals of state organs.

Aside from my feedback letter, I don't even know which owner's official document it was...

Thinking of this, Qin Mu couldn't help but glance at the property owners beside him.

Like him, they were primarily serving as witnesses, prepared to testify in court if necessary to prove that their rights had been infringed upon.

「Three hours later.」

In the courtroom, the presentation of evidence and cross-examination phases had concluded.

The trial had also entered the final statement phase.

This is an important right for defendants in criminal cases.

Xu Leshan, his face ashen, looked at Zhang Wei, his heart heavy.

Although Zhang Wei had just argued for leniency on several grounds, judging by the current trend, his sentence was still likely to be very severe.

It definitely won't be less than three years!

"I've done my best," Zhang Wei said, patting his shoulder and sighing softly. "Just plead guilty and accept the punishment."

During his plea for mitigation, he repeatedly cited numerous mitigating factors, doing his utmost to argue for a reduced sentence.

These included being a first-time offender, actively pleading guilty and accepting the punishment, actively providing compensation, and having obtained the forgiveness of some victims.

With these efforts, the sentence should be significantly reduced.

But after hearing Zhang Wei's words, Xu Leshan became even more panicked.

"I... I... I have deeply recognized the harm my actions have caused to society and others. I will definitely reform, turn over a new leaf, and become a better person. I plead guilty and accept the punishment..."

It took Xu Leshan three minutes to stammer through the statement Zhang Wei had prepared for him.

Then he waited anxiously.

Half an hour later, the collegiate panel concluded its deliberations.

Zhou Quanmin, along with the other members of the judicial panel, re-entered the courtroom and began to announce the verdict.

"After a public trial conducted by the Second Criminal Court of the Jin City Court, regarding the case of theft suspected to have been committed by the defendant Xu Leshan, the court has determined the following:

The defendant, Xu Leshan, repeatedly committed theft of express deliveries at the courier station in the Mountain and Water Garden District. He stole items on seven occasions, amounting to a total of 26 packages.

These included thirteen daily necessities, four official documents from state organs, and one company business proposal.

Following a joint deliberation by the collegiate panel, the facts of the case are clear and unequivocal. The defendant has confessed to the charges, there are no ambiguities in the case, and the chain of evidence is complete. The court now renders the following judgment:

For repeatedly and illegally stealing others' express deliveries, thereby violating Article 264 of the Criminal Code, Xu Leshan is sentenced to one year and three months of fixed-term imprisonment and fined 3,000 yuan.

Furthermore, after stealing the express deliveries, Xu Leshan burned and destroyed official documents contained within. His destruction of the official documents therein constituted a severe offense, violating the Criminal Law...

For cutting up private identification documents found in the deliveries, he violated the Criminal Law...

...

For the five crimes listed above, consolidated for sentencing, Xu Leshan is sentenced to a total of 10 years and three months of fixed-term imprisonment and fined 3,000 yuan.

Should the defendant disagree with this verdict, he may, within 15 days of this judgment taking effect, apply to this court for a retrial or appeal to the Intermediate People's Court."

The solemn pronouncement echoed through the courtroom.

In the defendant's dock, upon hearing his sentence, Xu Leshan's vision went black, and he fainted once again.

Meanwhile, in the gallery, Xu Ping and his wife were also stunned for a long moment, unable to believe the outcome.

This sentence... To be honest, it's heavier than one for arson or murder! The problem is... our son only stole a few packages.

「Nursing Home.」

After the verdict was announced, Qin Mu returned to the nursing home with the residents who had come to watch the "spectacle."

Along the way, Zhang Qingyuan and the others were discussing the case.

It was the first time they had ever witnessed such a heavy sentence for what seemed like petty theft; it was truly an eye-opening experience.

They had never encountered anything like it before.

Because even in cases of repeated theft, the targets were usually valuables.

No one would typically steal documents, certificates, or files.

But this Xu Leshan... he was after petty profits, engaging in minor pilfering.

He probably thought that stealing packages of little value wouldn't be a big deal, even if he got caught.

But little did he know... stealing packages is like opening mystery boxes: they might contain priceless jewelry, or they might just hold worthless documents and certificates.

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