In Maoming, Guangdong Province in 2016, a bizarre case is in full swing in the trial courtroom.
In the dock, a 67-year-old man with gray hair and a wrinkled face, Wu Laohan, sat there, his eyes full of confusion and helplessness. He kept shaking his head, as if trying to dispel the doubts that lingered in his mind: How could I, an honest fisherman, be reduced to the point of sitting in the dock?
In a corner of Dianbai District, Maoming, there is an old man named Wu Laoliu, although he has entered the twilight of his life, he is still full of vitality and spirit at the age of 67. He was a native countryman, and the smell of earth on his body was stronger than the aquatic plants in the fishpond. He is not the kind of old man who sits at home and waits for his children to be supported, on the contrary, he is a desperate Saburo, in order to reduce the burden of his children, he contracted a fish pond in the village and became a "fish commander".
Wu Lao Liu's fish pond is his kingdom and his everything. During the day, he spends almost all of his time by the fish pond, either feeding or cleaning the pond, and is very busy. And in the evening, he will reluctantly leave his "kingdom" and return to that simple but warm home. However, the small red brick room by the fish pond is his "palace" and the place where he rests at noon. The small room, so old that it dates back to the last century, has no air conditioning, only a shaking electric fan, struggling powerlessly in the heat of summer.
And the mosquitoes regarded the small room as their own paradise, flying wantonly, biting Wu Lao Liu. But Wu Lao Liu never complained, because he knew that it was all for his "kingdom" and for his fish.
In the summer of 2016, Wu Laoliu's fry grew like a hormone under his careful care, and in just a few months, they had grown into a large fish weighing several catties. Looking at the big fish jumping in the fish pond, Wu Lao Liu's heart blossomed, as if he had seen a bumper harvest. However, in addition to the joy, he felt a trace of trouble. It turns out that recently, there are always some young people in the neighborhood who take advantage of the night to steal his fish.
These guys, all of them are idle and don't do their jobs, but they have a soft spot for Wu Lao Liu's fish. In the dead of night, they would sneak up on the edge of the pond, steal a few big fish, and walk away.
For these petty thefts, Wu Lao Liu is angry and hateful. The fish he had worked so hard to raise was about to go on the market, but it was stolen by these guys. He wanted to catch them and teach them a hard lesson. So, he decided to live in the "palace" by the fish pond for the last month or so, vowing to protect his "kingdom" and not let anyone steal his fish.
At about two o'clock in the morning on August 24, Wu Laoliu, who was sleeping soundly, was awakened by a slight noise. He immediately realized that those damn fish thieves were coming again. He was furious, got up from the bed in a rage, picked up the flashlight at hand, and prepared to go out to hunt the thief. He thought, "I'm sixty-seven years old, is it easy for me to support my family?" Others have long since retired at this age to enjoy the blessings at home, but I still have to fight these fish thieves here. ”
Wu Lao Liu put on his slippers, dimmed the flashlight so as not to startle the snake, and then carefully opened the door and walked out.
As soon as he went out, he saw a faint flashlight light flashing in the corner of the fish pond. He crept closer to catch the thief and take the stolen goods. When he got closer, he realized that there were actually three fish thieves this time! One catches fish in the fish pond and the other two load fish on the shore. Through the light of the flashlight, Wu Lao Liu clearly saw that the fish thief's bucket was already filled with two big fish.
Seeing this scene, Wu Lao Liu couldn't hold back anymore. He shouted, "What are you doing?!" It's just enough to steal fish once, and come to steal fish several times and three times, when this is your family?! His voice was especially loud in the silent night, startling the three fish thieves.
Although Wu Laohan is old, the fire of justice in his heart is burning vigorously. He jerked to his feet, roared, and ran after the two thieves. However, the years have not forgived people, and his legs and feet are no longer as sharp as they were back then. After running a few steps, he had to stop, panting and shouting to Li Xiaoliang in the fish pond: "Boy, you come up for me!" It's hard for you to fly today, so I have to send you to the police station! ”
Li Xiaoliang was happily catching fish in the fish pond, and when he heard Wu Laohan's roar, he was frightened. When he looked up, he saw Wu Laohan with an angry face on his face, and a bamboo pole of nearly two meters in his hand, walking towards him menacingly. Li Xiaoliang thought to himself: "It's over, it's miserable to be caught by this old man!" He quickly threw away the fish in his hand and tried to run around the shore from a low place on the shore.
However, Li Xiaoliang is an outsider after all, and he is not familiar with the terrain here. Wherever he ran, Wu Laohan chased him, like a cat and mouse. On a low slope, Li Xiaoliang slipped and fell on all fours. Wu Laohan took the opportunity to rush forward and grabbed his arm. He gasped and said indignantly: "You little rabbit cub, you don't study well at a young age, and you come to steal fish!" Say, what's your name? Live**?
Just as Wu Laohan was about to twist Li Xiaoliang to the police station, he suddenly felt a cool breeze coming from behind him. Immediately afterward, a huge thrust thrusted him towards the fish pond. Wu Laohan subconsciously wanted to grab something to stabilize his body, but he grabbed Li Xiaoliang's arm instead. In this way, the two fell into the depths of the fish pond together.
The person who pushed Wu Laohan was Li Dongyi. He and Li Dabo had already run far away, but when he looked back and saw Li Xiaoliang being entangled by Wu Laohan and circling in a circle in the fish pond, he suddenly felt bad. He knew that if Li Xiaoliang was caught, he would definitely confess them. So, he asked Li Dabo to go first, and he secretly returned to the scene, ready to save Li Xiaoliang.
Li Dongyi hid in the dark and observed for a while, and found that Wu Laohan was staring at Li Xiaoliang intently and didn't notice him. He took the opportunity to tiptoe close to Wu Laohan, and then pushed Wu Laohan into the fish pond with a sharp push. But he didn't expect that Wu Laohan would grab Li Xiaoliang and fall in together. Watching the two of them fluttering in the fish pond, Li Dongyi felt both panicked and guilty in his heart. He hurriedly looked around for fear of being discovered, and ran away.
In the fish pond, Wu Laohan and Li Xiaoliang were embarrassed. They struggled desperately to surface. But the water in the fish pond was very deep, and their feet were slippery and greasy, and they couldn't make it strong at all. Wu Laohan shouted for help while struggling: "Help! Someone stole fish and pushed me into the water! Come on! His voice echoed around the empty fishpond, looking particularly bleak.
Li Xiaoliang was already frightened at this time. Originally, he just wanted to steal a few fish to satisfy his hunger, but he didn't expect to cause such a big trouble. He regretted it and thought, "If I knew I wouldn't have come to steal fish!" What should I do now? He looked around to find an escape, but there was water all around him and he had nowhere to run.
In the fish pond, Wu Laohan and Li Xiaoliang shouted for help, but there was silence all around, and no one answered. In desperation, they had no choice but to save themselves. Although Wu Laohan is old, he knows this fish pond well. He swam to the shore with his memory, but he kept cursing in his heart for the guy who pushed him into the water.
The fish pond is actually not deep, only more than two meters, but in this dark night, coupled with the panic in their hearts, Wu Laohan and Li Xiaoliang both felt that it was extremely difficult to swim. Wu Laohan stroked his arms desperately, but he always felt that something was dragging him and pestering him. He thought it was aquatic plants, but later learned that it was Li Xiaoliang who was holding him tightly.
After some struggle, Wu Laohan finally broke free and climbed ashore. Exhausted, he grabbed a flashlight and shone it, only to find that the fish thief was long gone. Could it be that the boy who fell into the fish pond climbed ashore and ran away on his own? Or is it hiding in the water?
The more Wu Laohan thought about it, the more wrong it became, so he picked up two stones and threw them towards the fish pond. I only heard two "plop" sounds, and a huge splash of water splashed, but there was still no movement in the fish pond. At this time, Wu Laohan noticed that there was a mobile phone and a pile of clothes on the shore, which was obviously the same kid. Did he really run away?
Wu Laohan, who was not at ease, decided to call the police. He dialed 110 and claimed that someone had fallen overboard. Soon, ** rushed to the scene. After some salvage, ** found no human figures, only buckets, fishing rods and slippers left by the fish thieves.
Looking at these physical evidence, Wu Laohan couldn't help but feel emotional.
With the arrival of the first light on the horizon, ** decided to increase the horsepower and found more manpower, ready to "catch turtles in the urn". As a result, the turtle was not caught, but a cold corpse was fished out - Li Xiaoliang. This news exploded in Wu Laohan's mind like a bombshell. He sat on the ground, his eyes blank, as if the whole world had collapsed. He couldn't have imagined that he just wanted to catch a fish thief, so how could he kill someone?
* An investigation was quickly launched, and preliminary autopsy results showed that Li Xiaoliang had drowned. Is it really worth it to take a fresh life for two tilapia worth 24 yuan? ** Shaking his head, he informed Li Xiaoliang's parents. When they heard this, they cried to death, as if the whole world had abandoned them.
However, after the grief, the family members pointed the finger at Wu Laohan and Li Dongyi. They believe that if it weren't for Li Dongyi who took their son badly, and if it weren't for Wu Laohan's relentless pursuit, all these tragedies would not have happened. But they seem to have forgotten that it was their son who went to someone else's fish pond to steal fish first. Stopping theft is a matter of course!
But at this time, Li Xiaoliang's parents had lost their minds, and they sued Wu Laohan, Li Dongyi and Li Dabo in court. The three were also arrested by the local **, after all, negligence causing death is a crime, and the deceased must be investigated for legal responsibility.
On December 25, 2017, the Dianbai District People's Court heard the case. In the solemn courtroom, Wu Laohan and Li Dongyi defended themselves one after another. Wu Laohan said excitedly: "I'm stopping the theft!" What's wrong with me? It's Li Dongyi who is wrong! If he hadn't dragged the two of them into the fish pond, Li Xiaoliang wouldn't have died! And Li Dongyi said innocently: "I just want to save Li Xiaoliang!" I originally just wanted to push Wu Laohan into the water, but it was a complete accident for Li Xiaoliang to be brought into the water! And Wu Laohan pushed Li Xiaoliang away, which directly led to his death! ”
The court's first-instance verdict was like a bolt from the blue, shocking everyone. Wu Laohan and Li Dongyi negligently caused death? How is this possible! Wu Laohan is just trying to protect his fish pond, what's wrong with him? And Li Dongyi, although he did something stupid, did he really intend to put Li Xiaoliang to death?
Wu Laohan was dumbfounded in court, he couldn't accept this fact. He shouted angrily, "I'm here to catch the fish thief!" What's wrong with me? Is it because the fish thief is dead that I am a sinner? It's not fair! His voice echoed through the courtroom, full of helplessness and grief.
As soon as this case was reported, it immediately aroused widespread concern in society. People have been upset with Wu Laohan, thinking that he was too wronged. They hope that the court will retry the case and give Mr. Wu justice.
Finally, on April 17, 2018, the Maoming Intermediate People's Court conducted a second instance of the case. The presiding judge was discerning and held that Wu Laohan's actions were justified and did not cause harm to Li Xiaoliang. As for pushing Li Xiaoliang away in the water, it was just an instinctive reaction of people.
Moreover, Wu Laohan immediately called the police and actively rescued him after the incident, and he subjectively had no intention of committing a crime. Therefore, the court of second instance finally ruled that Wu Laohan was not guilty.
This news was like a spring breeze, blowing away the haze in Wu Laohan's heart. He could finally straighten his back and walk out the door of the courtroom. And Li Dongyi and Li Xiaoliang's parents, although they are dissatisfied with the verdict, can only accept this fact.
Although the fishpond incident is over, it leaves people with food for thought is far from over. How do we make the right choices in the face of emergencies? How can we protect our rights and interests in the face of legal trials? This incident undoubtedly provides us with profound enlightenment.