Business News (Reporter Juyang Hu) - Can one get away with stealing by claiming insanity when caught by the police? Yesterday, a thief's scheme failed in Zhengzhou.
On the afternoon of October 5th, Zhao, a 28-year-old youth from Puyang, was riding an electric bike and wandering around Tuochang Road in Zhengzhou city. He noticed many cars parked by the roadside, among which a silver-white van had its window open. There was no one inside, but the car keys were still inserted.
Zhao needed a car for business but lacked the money to buy one. Seeing that no one nearby was paying attention to him, he decided to steal the car. He parked his electric bike at a distance and returned to drive the van away. Unexpectedly, after driving only a few dozen meters, the car owner, Mr. Liu, caught up and stopped him. At this moment, Officer Danya Guo and others from the Liuzhai Police Station who were conducting community visits passed by. After understanding the situation, the officers took Zhao back to the station for handling.
Zhao told the officer that he suffered from mental illness. According to regulations, if a mentally ill person violates the law during an episode, they will not be held responsible.
Officer Danya Guo visited Zhao's rental place in Zhengzhou multiple times and his hometown in Puyang, asking his relatives, friends, and neighbors for detailed information about his real condition. A few years ago, Zhao had exhibited signs of "erratic running and irritability," but after treatment, he had fully recovered.
In mid-October, the Forensic Department of Zhengzhou's Eighth People's Hospital conducted evaluations using various methods such as psychiatric examinations, physical and neurological checks, psychological tests, and electroencephalograms. It was determined that apart from having "mild depressive and anxiety symptoms," Zhao showed no other abnormalities.
On November 17th, after comprehensive testing, the forensic experts concluded that Zhao was "mentally clear, answered questions appropriately, had appropriate emotions, intact self-control, and did not exhibit hallucinations or delusions." Additionally, "he had a clear motive for the crime. Although he had a history of illness, his actions were not influenced by mental symptoms. After the crime, he showed obvious protective awareness, could admit his mistakes voluntarily, and demonstrated normal recognition and control abilities regarding reality." Therefore, it was determined that Zhao "did not have a mental illness" and possessed "full criminal responsibility."
Zhao's lie was exposed. The stolen car was valued at over 17,000 yuan. As a "normal person," Zhao should bear legal responsibility. On November 18th, the Liuzhai Police Station executed a criminal detention on Zhao for suspected theft.
(Information provided by Guobao Liu, Suifeng Song, Baomin Xing)
Note: The last part of the original text seems unrelated to the main news story and has been omitted in translation for clarity.