Court bailiffs show pornographic books and discs to the defendant
Yesterday, 45-year-old Lin from Henan Province appeared nervous in the dock. When the prosecutor asked her: "Do you know that selling illegal publications and pornographic magazines in a certain quantity will result in criminal responsibility?" She lowered her head and said, "I don't know." She claimed that she thought selling pornographic books would only result in a fine, at most an administrative detention.
Lin was sentenced to four years in prison by the Yanta District People's Court for selling over 2,000 pornographic books and related items in the Xi'an urban area. The involved illicit goods were confiscated. It is understood that this case was supervised by the national anti-pornography and illegal publications office. More than a hundred administrative law enforcement personnel from 11 cities (districts) across the province, 13 districts and counties of Xi'an, and relevant departments, as well as people working in the publishing and distribution industry, attended the trial.
The national anti-pornography and illegal publications office took charge of supervising this case. According to the Yanta District People's Procuratorate, since April this year, Lin, a woman from Henan Province, purchased illegal publications, pornographic books, pornographic cards, and pornographic discs multiple times from Bao (separately handled) for profit and sold them.
On June 25, Zhang, Wang, and two others (all separately handled) were caught by the Yanta District Cultural Market Administrative Law Enforcement Team while selling illegal publications they had purchased from Lin at the North Square of the Wild Goose Pagoda. A total of 213 illegal publications were seized on the spot.
On July 2, when Lin instructed her husband Qiao (separately handled) to sell 50 illegal publications to Zhang, they were caught by the police on the spot. The police then searched their rented residence and found and confiscated 67 types of books totaling 2,236 copies, 57 decks of cards (6,156 pieces), 59 discs, and 864 illegal publications. After identification, the 67 types of books were all determined to be illegal pornographic materials. Among the discs, 50 including "Golden Boy Jade Girl" (and another 9 discs without content) and 57 specially made land lord poker card decks were also identified as pornographic materials.
It is reported that this case has become one supervised by the national anti-pornography and illegal publications office. The National Anti-Pornography and Illegal Publications Work Leading Group Office requested a thorough investigation and severe punishment. The Publicity Department of the Provincial Committee, the Provincial Press and Publication Bureau, the Publicity Department of the Xi'an Municipal Committee, the Xi'an Municipal Culture, Radio, Television, News, and Publishing Bureau, along with the Cultural Market Administrative Law Enforcement Corps and the special task force held several case briefings and arranged for the investigation and handling of the case.
The defendant attempted to evade punishment by pretending to be sick.
In court, Lin admitted that she sold books on Dongliu Road in the Xincheng District and was introduced to Bao, who sold pirated books in Henan, by a fellow seller. Since April this year, she had purchased these pornographic books and cards three times through freight from Henan.
When the prosecutor questioned how she obtained the pornographic discs, Lin claimed she did not know, "Maybe my husband borrowed them and watched them at home," but the prosecutor immediately refuted this, stating that the discs were found during the search of Lin's rented house in Baihua Village, Weiyang District, together with other illegal publications.
When the prosecutor cited multiple witness testimonies proving that Lin had been selling pirated books since 2008 and 2009, Lin denied it. In response, the prosecutor questioned her attitude towards confession, "During the investigation phase, it was only after half a month of the first interrogation that she reluctantly confessed to the co-defendant Bao," the prosecutor further pointed out that Lin had pretended to be sick multiple times in an attempt to avoid punishment, but no illness was detected upon examination.
According to the prosecutor's indictment, apart from the involved pornographic items, Lin also had the act of selling other illegal publications amounting to 1,127 copies. After a two-and-a-half-hour trial, the presiding judge announced the verdict in court.
By Ning Jun and Li Biao
Related theme article: Traffic police catch hit-and-run driver with a screw cap