Chapter 737: Chapter 267 Qin Mu is Really Angry_2

This is also a form of criminal violence.

The purpose of the seventeen individuals, including Cheng Chuxiao, was to commit a crime. Their motives were base, and they should not be eligible for probation.

"Secondly, the opposing lawyer stated that they had ceased their actions, which could be considered crime interruption."

He then added, "Article 24, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Law states: ’During the commission of a crime, voluntarily abandoning the crime or effectively preventing its consequences qualifies as crime interruption.’"

This is the specific interpretation of crime interruption.

It refers to voluntarily abandoning or effectively preventing the crime.

Zhang Wei argued that Cheng Chuxiao and the others did not subsequently fan the flames or create further trouble.

"However, in judicial interpretation, crime interruption must meet several criteria."

"First is the autonomy of the interruption. This means the criminal, believing it possible to carry the crime through to completion, voluntarily abandons it out of their own volition. Only then can this condition apply."

On this point, the seventeen individuals, including Cheng Chuxiao, naturally met this condition.

They merely initiated it; the subsequent escalation was entirely due to netizens joining in.

"Second is the timeliness of the interruption. Crime interruption can occur during the preparatory stage of a crime or during a criminal attempt. Once the crime is consummated, there can be no talk of interruption."

Qin Mu raised his head.

He glanced at Cheng Chuxiao and the others, then stated coldly, "The seventeen defendants have already spread fabricated content online, causing psychological distress and financial losses to our client, Old Zhang Qingyuan, to myself, and to the nursing home."

"The criminal act has been completed. Therefore, it should be regarded as a consummated crime, not a crime interruption!"

The determination of crime interruption is quite stringent.

For example, if someone stabs another with a knife but, realizing the severity of their actions midway, withdraws the knife, this still does not qualify as a crime interruption.

Instead, it should be considered the consummated crime of intentional injury.

Even if the act stemmed from their subjective will, they still caused harm by intentionally injuring another person, thereby committing the crime of intentional injury.

This is analogous to the actions of the seventeen defendants, including Cheng Chuxiao. Their crime has already been completed and is irreversible; it cannot be judged as a crime interruption.

Moreover, the subsequent actions of the seventeen defendants, including Cheng Chuxiao, also failed to effectively prevent the cyberbullying from occurring.

They still caused the original harm.

"Therefore, what the opposing lawyer referred to as crime interruption does not hold, and it should not serve as a basis for leniency for the seventeen defendants, including Cheng Chuxiao."

Qin Mu took a deep breath and summarized his point.

As for the third point Zhang Wei mentioned...

It pertained to the guilty pleas entered by the seventeen individuals, including Cheng Chuxiao, a point Qin Mu did not refute.

Their recent behavior was indeed consistent with an attitude of admitting guilt and accepting punishment.

However, although this active admission of guilt and acceptance of punishment can lead to a reduced sentence, the reduction is not substantial.

The court generally gives more weight to the first two discretionary factors.

「Jin City.」

「At the nursing home.」

「In the yard.」

Li Weiguo, Song Tiancheng, and others looked up intently at the projection screen.

They watched very attentively.

"Good! Well said! If it weren’t for Xiao Qin, I wouldn’t have known that the dangers of cyberbullying are so significant!"

"Indeed, language is a knife that kills without drawing blood. ’Kind words warm three winter months, while harsh words wound even in June’s heat.’ The ancients certainly didn’t deceive us!"

"Back in our day, there wasn’t so much trouble. What right do people online have to gossip about my personal affairs?"

"Thankfully, Xiao Qin is here. Otherwise, who knows how many people these trolls would harm."

"..."

As they listened to Qin Mu list one victim after another, the crowd sighed continuously.

Cyberbullying... it seemed so distant to them, as they hardly used the internet.

They had never personally experienced so-called cyberbullying.

But the examples Qin Mu listed were shocking.

The overwhelming abuse online can indeed kill people! Yet, as Qin Mu had specifically explained to them, in such cases, the internet trolls bear no legal responsibility.

For instance, in the case Qin Mu mentioned about a live streamer drinking pesticide.

Viewers in the livestream chat continually goaded her, urging her to commit suicide.

And eventually, she did. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

But in reality, even though she took her own life, those viewers bore no criminal responsibility.

This is because the act of suicide is considered self-endangerment, stemming from the individual’s own cognition.

No one forced her.

A few words online are not considered severe enough to constitute the crime of inciting suicide.

In fact, this wasn’t unique to her case. In many instances of cyberbullying, the victims had died in vain.

No one has ever paid for their deaths.

Legally, no one is held responsible.

As for the cyberbullies, after someone dies, they don’t feel it has anything to do with them.

They continue to be active online, offering their opinions and publishing their views,

standing on the moral high ground, criticizing and accusing others.

"Thank goodness for Xiao Qin! He directly caught over fifteen thousand cyberbullies. Otherwise, who knows how many more people they would have harmed?!"

"Listening to Xiao Qin, I feel like that’s not even a lot. So many people were cursing Old Zhang online."

"Perhaps their comments weren’t spread widely enough to constitute defamation."

"These people know nothing. They just see a story, take sides, and blame others. Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t act like that."

"..."

Li Weiguo and the others shook their heads, sighing with emotion.