Girl steals 30,000 yuan to play games, but hugs the victim and cries bitterly

A girl who was obsessed with online games stole 30,000 yuan to buy game equipment. Recently, this theft case was heard in the Development Zone Court.

Before the trial, a touching moment occurred: the victim and the defendant hugged each other tightly and cried out loud. "How are you inside? Are you cold?" The victim embraced the defendant like a mother.

15-year-old Girl Steals 30,000 Yuan to Buy Game Equipment

The defendant's name is Lili, from Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia. She is only 15 years old. Lili is a pitiful child; her parents divorced when she was four, and she has been living with her aunt ever since. Later, Lili came to Dalian with her father to work.

Due to her obsession with online games, Lili developed a dislike for school and dropped out shortly after coming to Dalian. During her gaming sessions, Lili met Xiaogang, who shared her interests, and they established a romantic relationship online.

At the beginning of this year, Lili went to live with Xiaogang at his home in the Development Zone. However, not long after, Xiaogang was sentenced to prison for robbing others in collaboration with others. Afterward, Lili continued to live with Xiaogang's mother, Ms. Zhang, who treated Lili like her own daughter. Lili also called Ms. Zhang "mom" on a regular basis.

One day in May, Ms. Zhang suddenly discovered that her bank card was missing, along with 30,000 yuan from the account. She reported it to the police. Through surveillance footage, the police found that the money had been taken by Lili. Soon afterward, Lili was arrested by the police, and by then, the 30,000 yuan had already been used by her to purchase online game equipment.

Lili was prosecuted by the procuratorate on charges of theft. In court, the victim and the defendant embraced and cried together.

Recently, the Development Zone Court heard this case. Before the trial, Ms. Zhang saw Lili, dressed in a prisoner's uniform, enter the courtroom, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably as she embraced Lili tightly. Both of them cried loudly. "Are you cold inside? I've bought warm clothes and will send them over later," Ms. Zhang sobbed. Lili kept saying, "Mom, I'm sorry..."

During the trial, Ms. Zhang said that the stolen 30,000 yuan were all borrowed. Considering Lili's family's poor financial situation, she would be satisfied if Lili returned 15,000 yuan, and she would figure out the rest herself.

Ms. Zhang also pleaded on behalf of Lili, hoping the court would consider Lili's minor status, as well as the fact that this was her first offense, and show leniency. As Ms. Zhang spoke, tears streamed down her face again, and Lili took out a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Ms. Zhang.

Girl's Father: "I Don't Want My Daughter to Be Sentenced to Real Imprisonment"

"I am very grateful to the victim. She agreed to accept just half the money (15,000 yuan)," Mr. Liu, Lili's father, said yesterday afternoon. He currently works on a construction site, earning more than 2,000 yuan per month. "Now I have borrowed from all my relatives and friends and have only raised 12,000 yuan." Mr. Liu said that if the stolen money is returned, Lili is likely to be sentenced to probation instead of actual imprisonment. "There is only a difference of 3,000 yuan left. I don't want my daughter to be sentenced to real imprisonment."

"This money is also borrowed. If it were my own savings, I definitely wouldn't ask for it back," Ms. Zhang said. She never imagined that Lili would steal the money; otherwise, she wouldn't have reported it to the police. "I treat Lili better than my own daughter. When the police found out that Lili had taken the money, I was worried that she might get hurt carrying so much money around," Ms. Zhang said. After Lili disappeared with the money, Ms. Zhang often woke up from nightmares. "I often dreamt of Lili covered in blood, with the money stolen from her."

When Ms. Zhang saw Lili in court, her feelings were very complex. "Tears couldn't be held back, feeling both sorrowful and pity for Lili," Ms. Zhang said. Due to Lili's young age, she once opposed Lili's relationship with Xiaogang. "Every time I asked her to come home, she would cry, and I couldn't bear to see her sad."

Ms. Zhang knew about Lili's family background, which is why she treated Lili very well, giving her pocket money and washing her clothes. "My son will be released from prison in nine months, and I hope Lili can also come out early." Speaking of Lili, Ms. Zhang felt no resentment. She hopes Lili can return to society sooner. "If she really has nowhere else to go, she can come to my house, and I will take good care of her." (All names except Cai Jing and Zhu Ruiwu are pseudonyms.)

New Form of Trial: "Round Table Trial"

It was learned that unlike the trials of other criminal cases, the trial of this case adopted a "round table trial" method involving participation from various sectors of society due to many new situations and problems arising from juvenile delinquency.

After the trial, Dr. Cai Jing, a sociology doctor from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, provided psychological counseling to Lili. Zhu Ruiwu, the captain of the Dalian Development Zone Volunteer Team, told Lili stories of how the volunteer team helped juvenile offenders reshape their lives and welcomed her to join the volunteer organization in the future.