In Datong, Shanxi, a "engagement case" was pronounced on December 25. The defendant was sentenced to 3 years in prison on the charge of **. However, the husband said in court that he did not accept the verdict and appealed. The case began on the fourth day of the engagement, when the woman reported the case to the man, claiming that after the man had forced sexual relations, he also asked the woman to receive a gift and put her name on the real estate deed. During the trial, the court convicted the woman mainly on the basis of her confession. The man's lawyer did not attend the sentencing for some reason. The case is touching and has sparked widespread discussion about prenuptial relationships, bride price issues, and fair trials.
On May 1, in Yanggao County, Datong, Shanxi Province, a 27-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman held an engagement ceremony at a grand engagement banquet. The man paid a bride price of 100,000 yuan to the woman and gave a 72 grams of gold rings. In addition, the parties also pressed their handprints on the real estate deed of the matrimonial house and promised to add the woman's name after one year of marriage. However, on the night of the engagement, after the man and woman entered the marriage room, the woman asked the man to immediately handle the transfer of the property and pay an additional bride price of 100,000 yuan. At that time, the man was unable to meet the woman's request immediately, and the woman became dissatisfied and reported the case to ** on the 4th day, accusing the man**.
According to Ms. Zhen, on the day of the engagement, the man and woman signed an engagement dowry agreement. The agreement stipulates that before marriage, if the man repents, the engagement ring and the bride price of 100,000 yuan will not be returned;If the woman repents, the engagement ring and the bride price of 100,000 yuan must be returned to the man. The woman asked the man to add her name to the real estate certificate and asked to pay the remaining 100,000 yuan as a dowry. However, the man was unable to meet these demands immediately, causing the woman to become agitated and subsequently accuse the man**.
After the incident on the 4th day of the engagement, the woman reported to Yanggao County** that she had been subjected to the man's **. She claimed that after having sex in the matrimonial house, she asked the husband to immediately handle the transfer of the title deed and pay an additional bride price. However, the man was unable to meet the woman's request immediately, causing the woman to become dissatisfied and report the case against the man**. Ms. Zhen said that before the case, the woman had a conversation with the mother-in-law and recorded it, demanding that the woman's name must be added to the real estate certificate and the remaining 100,000 yuan bride price must be paid. Although the man said to ** that he had a relationship with the woman in the marriage room, Ms. Zhen insisted that her son did not ** the woman. According to lawyer Yin Qingli, after he intervened in the defense, he submitted 26 opinions and 1 withdrawal opinion, totaling more than 30,000 words.
At half past eight a.m. on December 25, the Yanggao County Court pronounced the first-instance verdict on the case. The whole process lasted more than 40 minutes. Ms. Zhen told reporters that the court mainly adopted the woman's confession to convict. The court held that the man's admission of the engagement was an undeniable fact, while the man did not put forward a valid defense for the woman's alleged crime. Therefore, the court favored the woman's statement, and finally convicted the man of ** crime and sentenced him to 3 years in prison.
Ms Yan challenged the court's basis for the conviction. In her view, it was unfair for the court to admit the woman's statement in its entirety and that the man was not given sufficient opportunity to defend himself. Ms. Zhen stressed that her son did not accept the verdict at all and appealed in court.
However, because the lawyer appointed by the husband was out of town to participate in other cases during the trial, he was not able to attend the sentencing scene. Ms. Zhen also revealed that the lawyer had submitted 26 comments to the court on November 28, but these opinions were not accepted by the court. The lawyer also presented the situation on the day the verdict was announced, but the court upheld the original verdict.
At the hearing on December 25, it took just over 40 minutes for the court to read out the verdict. Ms Yan challenged the court's basis for conviction, pointing out that the court was too biased towards the woman's confession as the main basis for the verdict, and that the husband did not have enough opportunity to defend himself. However, the two lawyers of the husband were unable to attend the sentencing in person because they had other cases to deal with during the trial. Ms. Zhen revealed that the lawyer had submitted 26 comments to the court on November 28, but these opinions were not accepted by the court. Although the lawyer presented the specific circumstances to the court on the day the verdict was announced, the court upheld the original verdict.
3. Seeing her son after 203 days, Ms. Zhen saw her son for the first time after 203 days. She said that her son was under a lot of pressure in prison, and his face was pale, not even a trace of blood. Ms. Zhen insisted that her son and the woman were indeed engaged to marry and paid a bride price of $100,000. She also believes that after the man and woman had sex, the woman also took a bath, which proved that she was not subjected to **. Lawyer Yin Qingli also corroborated Ms. Zhen's account, saying that he intervened in the defense on November 28 and submitted 26 opinions and one withdrawal opinion, totaling more than 30,000 words. Although he himself had already attended the trial on the day the verdict was announced, the Yanggao County Court upheld the original verdict.
After 203 days, Ms. Zhen finally met her son at the trial on December 25. Ms. Zhen said that her son was under a lot of pressure in prison, and his face was pale and there was no trace of blood. Ms. Zhen insisted that her son was indeed engaged to the woman and paid a bride price of $100,000. She also pointed out that the woman even took a shower after the incident, indicating that she was not subjected to **. Lawyer Yin Qingli corroborated Ms. Zhen's account, saying that he intervened in the defense on November 28 and submitted 26 opinions and one withdrawal opinion, totaling more than 30,000 words. Although Yin Qingli himself had already attended the trial on the day the verdict was announced, the Yanggao County Court still upheld the original verdict.
The first-instance verdict of this "engagement case" has aroused widespread attention. At the time of the incident, after the man and the woman had sex in the matrimonial room, the woman made additional demands and reported the case to accuse the man**. The court accepted the woman's confession as the basis for the conviction, found the man guilty of **, and sentenced him to 3 years in prison. However, the husband and his family expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict and appealed. The man's lawyer also challenged the verdict on the day the verdict was announced, saying that the court's conviction was not based on sufficient grounds.
The whole case involved disputes and bride price issues in the engagement process, which sparked discussions on these issues from all walks of life. Some people believe that it is improper for a man to have sex with a woman before marriage, but it is not the same as **. Moreover, the court convicted the woman on the basis of her confession, which raised questions about the fairness of the trial. On the other hand, it has also been pointed out that the man did not fulfill his promise after the engagement, which led to the woman's dissatisfaction, which should also be dealt with as it should be.
The outcome of the second instance of this case will determine the fate of the man, but regardless of the final outcome, this case has provoked reflection and reflection on prenuptial relationships, bride price issues, and fair trials. It is hoped that similar cases will be treated more fairly and the rights and interests of the parties will be safeguarded in future trials.