How can I justify myself as a Magnate if I don't indulge myself?-Chapter 529 - 242: Internet Violence Assistance Foundation_2

What is called a "pocket crime," the meaning is very simple: the boundaries of the crime are not clear, and many criminal actions fit the description; Gu Heng's chosen attorney once used the crime of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" to send dozens of people to prison...

This is also why he stood out from more than twenty elite attorneys and became Gu Heng's defense lawyer.

No other reason.

Without exaggeration, in all of Hua Country, when it comes to understanding the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, he claims second place, and scarcely anyone dares to claim first!

In an instant, Gu Heng's appointed lawyer stood up sharply, and bellowed, "Objection, I object to the defense attorney's statement that the defendant does not constitute the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble.

The defendant's Weibo post exceeded a million views, and has tens of thousands of retweets, comments, and likes, causing a huge uproar! It even triggered a series of internet violence against my client, causing severe harm to my client's mind and body!

How could such a degree of criminal behavior not be considered as causing serious disturbance to public order?"

The defense attorney for the accused felt his scalp tingle, but there was no helping it; he was paid to do the job, and had to stand up and continue to debate with Gu Heng's attorney...

This courtroom confrontation was equivalent to a legal variety show.

The viewers in various live broadcasting rooms were enjoying it immensely...

The combined number of viewers on several platforms had already surpassed five million...

The barrage of comments was relentless...

"Awesome! Awesome! Everyone has long suffered due to these online marketers, finally someone is cleaning them up!"

"Let me educate you all, the plaintiff's lawyer is named Bo Huadong, one of the top hundred lawyers in Hua Country, proficient in various criminal cases, and even has a glorious record of sending 47 criminals to prison in a single year. Moreover, in cases concerning the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, Mr. Bo's success rate exceeds 90%!"

"Can we fast forward? I want to go directly to the judge's sentencing phase!"

...

About an hour later.

Under the high pressure of Gu Heng's appointed lawyer, the opposing lawyer finally ran out of words, and the trial was nearing its end.

The collegiate panel, after half an hour of study and discussion, produced the final verdict.

As for why it only took half an hour...

The reason was too simple...

With joint evidence collection from 47 law firms, the evidence was overwhelmingly strong, and furthermore, during the stage of courtroom defense, the sparring between attorneys wasn't even on the same level. If not for the judicial process being as it is, the research and deliberation of the collegiate panel would probably not have been necessary, and the presiding judge could have made a decision there and then...

"All rise,"

As the clerk's voice rang out.

Nearly two hundred people in the grand courtroom all stood up, showing respect for the law.

And the barrage of comments in all the live broadcasting rooms also slowed down at the "rise" command, as almost everyone was quietly awaiting the announcement of the verdict...

"The Criminal Tribunal of the Jingcheng Chaoyang District People's Court, in the case of online rumor-spreading, cyber defamation, and picking quarrels and provoking trouble, has concluded the trial.

After collective study and deliberation by the collegiate panel and determining the extent of discretion, the following verdict is now rendered.

The defendant, Song Chenhui, by using his influential social media account to publish false information and defaming others online, has caused serious harm to the victim and severely affected public order. According to the Criminal Law, Article 246 and Article 293, he is found guilty of the crimes of defamation and picking quarrels and provoking trouble.

.....

Song Chenhui is hereby sentenced to four years and six months of fixed-term imprisonment and is fined 5,000 yuan. Furthermore, he shall compensate the victim for mental anguish and damage to reputation in the amount of 50,000 yuan and shall bear all litigation costs jointly with the other two defendants."

"The defendant, Wang Liang, is sentenced to five years of fixed-term imprisonment for the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and is fined 5,000 yuan. In addition, he shall compensate the victim for mental anguish and damage to reputation in the amount of 50,000 yuan and shall jointly bear all litigation costs with the other two defendants."

"The defendant, Wu Qingfen, is sentenced to four years of fixed-term imprisonment for the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and is fined 5,000 yuan. Furthermore, she is to compensate the victim for mental anguish and damage to reputation in the amount of 50,000 yuan and shall bear all litigation costs jointly with the other two defendants."

"The date of the judgment is August 1, 2024; the verdict is to take effect immediately!"

"Do the defendants, Song Chenhui, Wang Liang, and Wu Qingfen, have any objections to the judgment? Do you wish to appeal?"

The three self-media bloggers had a dull look in their eyes and, hearing the words of the presiding judge, all resignedly nodded their heads...

In the past few days, they had sought countless renowned law firms, but without exception, no one would take their case...

After spending a lot of money, they each found an ordinary lawyer to defend them...

Yet still, they were utterly defeated...

Appeal?

They all understood the law well and were very clear about their own actions...

Today, it took just over an hour to complete the verdict, and even if they appealed, at best, the original judgment would be upheld, and it might even be possible to overturn the first trial's decision and convict them of a more serious crime...

After all, over the years, to earn ill-gotten gains, they had committed many crimes...

The guilty plea of these three defendants was significant, but it brought suffering to the remaining 114 defendants seated below...

One after another, they looked as if they had lost their souls. The 117 individuals charged in the first batch had been meticulously selected from a group of 14,000, all with comparable levels of influence, and the majority were social media bloggers...

Now, with Song Chenhui, Wang Liang, and Wu Qingfen setting the precedent, it meant that the sentences for the remaining 114 would likely be similar...

The thought of facing several years in prison soon caused this group of people to finally crack...

Some collapsed in their seats, pale as ghosts...

Some even started to cry, shouting out loud...

And a few more agitated individuals rushed frantically toward Gu Heng's direction, hoping to kowtow and apologize to him...

This whole scene was captured by the live stream...

However, the barrage of comments in the live stream showed no sympathy, with each person sneering that they got what they deserved...

Just like that previous barrage comment, "The world has suffered from these marketing accounts for so long," seeing these marketing bloggers being caught, there was hardly anyone who went online who didn't applaud...

.....

.....

After each trial was completed, a different judge and jury members would take over.

In one day, they had held court sessions for five groups of defendants, which is 15 people.

As they had expected, even the lightest sentence among these 15 was three years of fixed-term imprisonment...

Just the mental damages compensation added up to over 700,000...

With the last verdict delivered, Gu Heng walked out of the courtroom accompanied by his lawyer, appearing rather listless from sitting for so long as he turned to his lawyer with a smile, "Mr. Bo, I wonder if it would impact the case if I were absent from the next court session?"

Bo Huadong shook his head, "There's no need to be present; you just need to issue a letter of authorization, Mr. Gu. You can entrust everything to me. Today is the first day of trial, and it's being live-streamed on the internet. Being absent might bring about a poor impression; subsequent sessions won't be live-streamed anymore, so you don't need to come to the court. If there are any issues, our legal team will communicate with you."

Hearing Bo Huadong's words, Gu Heng nodded in satisfaction.

It's been from the morning now until 5 p.m., and only 15 people had been dealt with.

There are still more than ten thousand people left...

If he needed to be present for every session, at a rate of 15 people per day, it would take a full three years to finish; who could withstand that?

"Tonight, I have reserved a dining slot at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse as a treat for all the esteemed lawyers, and I would be honored if you could attend."

Just as these lawyers were preparing to politely decline, the reporters who had waited outside all day swarmed up. Gu Heng frowned, just about to have his bodyguards brush the crowd away, but then he had an idea and decided to use the press to spread his message.

"Regarding the case prosecution, you don't need to ask me; I trust you all watched today's live stream. If there are more questions, you can search on the court document website where detailed records are available. If you really want to pick a topic out of me, then I shall satisfy you. I declare that I will use the compensation from this lawsuit plus my personal funds to establish the Internet Violence Assistance Foundation, dedicated to helping those who, like me, suffer from internet violence, yet lack the means to protect themselves! Once it's confirmed someone needs help, we will use the funds from the foundation to hire lawyers for them, ensuring their legal rights! The provisional funding amount is set at 500 million, 500 million every year!"

After saying this, Gu Heng directly got into the Rolls-Royce, not giving the reporters any chance to ask questions...

Wasn't his legal team asking him to create a buzz?

The new energy battery project was too big and was still in negotiation, not something that could be contrived at the moment...

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

But spending a little money to build a positive image for himself was still possible...