"Lawyer Tang, you've also seen the relevant evidence. Whether it be slapping the face or kicking, although these actions injured Liu Yan, they didn't threaten her life, right?"
"Another key factor is that Li Zixin's switchblade was never actively brandished; it fell to the ground during the conflict, and Liu Yan picked it up to attack."
"As for the subsequent pulling and dragging, they were even less harmful, whereas Liu Yan's stab to the chest was very dangerous. She should have foreseen the consequences of her actions, and furthermore, she continued to pursue and stab Li Zixin as he retreated."
Upon hearing this, Tang Fangjing said, "But Prosecutor Deng, the situation at the time was that Li Zixin and the other five had been beating Liu Yan for an extended period. Under those circumstances, Liu Yan's forced retaliation was quite appropriate."
"Li Zixin had even told her to take off her clothes, and there was an incident involving tugging at her clothing..."
The prosecutor named Deng shook his head and said, "Let me repeat, that retaliation was not appropriate because she used a knife to counterattack when the others hadn't used a weapon!"
"What's more, after the second stabbing, when the others were running away, she chased after them and stabbed a couple more times. Do you call that legitimate self-defense?"
"Our review suggests it was excessive self-defense and can be exempt from criminal punishment."
Tang Fangjing wanted to say more, but the prosecutor stood up and said, "I've got a lot of things to do today, so let's leave it here. I've already received your written opinion, that'll be all for now."
As Prosecutor Deng walked away, he couldn't help but shake his head; he genuinely didn't believe this case qualified as self-defense.
Excessive self-defense is also reasonable. Admitting guilt, actively seeking forgiveness, and satisfying the victim's side meant the case was unlikely to cause any disturbance.
Excessive defense plus the fact that the defendant is a minor—exemption from criminal punishment should also be acceptable to the court, making everything perfect.
He had heard of Tang Fangjing before; she was quite well-known in Jingzhou, involved with the Lawyers Association and other activities, but criminal cases couldn't be handled this way. A not-guilty defense?
Was this young lawyer too eager to become famous? He had seen it before—attorneys looking for publicity with all kinds of stunts, the so-called "fight-to-the-death" type.
Watching the other party leave, Tang Fangjing also packed up and prepared to leave, convinced of the guilt but recommending exemption from criminal punishment.
Honestly, the suggestion was tempting, and in his previous life, he might have accepted it.
Most importantly, exemption from criminal punishment doesn't mean you're innocent; any guilty verdict would go on record. The young girl was only fifteen; a criminal record would prevent her from acquiring a clean criminal history certificate in the future.
It must be said that cases of legitimate self-defense were genuinely difficult, especially when the victim suffered serious injury or death; even more caution was required.
In such situations, neither firm would easily concede self-defense, not just due to legal considerations but also for many other reasons.
After all, we always say, "respect the deceased..."
As long as someone has died, no matter the circumstances, the bereaved always have the moral high ground.
Although serious injury doesn't compare to death, it's not much different.
However, meeting the prosecutor wasn't a total waste; at least, Tang Fangjing knew from which angle they planned to prosecute.
This prosecutor's thinking had indeed become rather rigid. A couple of years ago, both Supreme Courts jointly issued new judicial interpretations on self-defense, known as the "ten accurates."
The purpose was to change the rigid and dogmatic decision-making of the past, but it seems the opposition still opted for a conservative approach.
In that case, they would have to face off in court!
Quietly making copies of the case files and evidence, Tang Fangjing left the prosecutor's office, ready to prepare thoroughly; he would succeed or die trying!
Of course, Old Tang didn't know that at this very moment, outside the Jingzhou Lawyers Association, Guan Qiaolian was ranting loudly.
She had filed a complaint, and the Lawyers Association had told her that the complaint was invalid and that Lawyer Tang's professional conduct was beyond reproach.
A crazy person as a lawyer, who also assaults others, and that's not a problem?
If that's the case, there was nothing she could do but create a scene. It was her specialty, yet it proved useless at the Lawyers Association.
Previously, she had made scenes in government departments, and usually, they would intervene, at the very least not allowing her to curse freely on their premises.
But the Lawyers Association was unbending; they saw her causing a commotion inside, and simply dispatched a few women to drag her out.
She cried and shouted at the entrance, attempting to draw attention, and indeed she did attract notice, but the Lawyers Association remained unmoved, completely indifferent to her antics.
The internet was full of lies; the Lawyers Association was nothing like what they said!
Inside the Lawyers Association office, a staff member spoke up, "President, are we just going to watch her shout?"
Old Cheng said, "What can we do? Do you dare to mess with Tang Fangjing? What did she do wrong? The video is already out there. Can't a lawyer defend herself now?"
"Let her shout. The reputation of the Lawyers Association has long been tarnished."
Ever since the tax evasion scandal, Jingzhou Lawyers Association's reputation had been dragged through the mud; adding a little more dirt wouldn't change anything. It didn't impact the management of the Lawyers Association, so they could not care less.
The staff member paused, then thought about it and realized that what the president said made sense.
While Old Tang was preparing for the defense, at No. 57 Middle School, Liu Yan's school, Old Ge visited again.
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"Hasn't the case already been investigated? Why do we need to review these surveillance videos again?" the vice-principal wondered aloud.
"It's evidence requested by the parties involved; we think it's necessary to look into it, so here we are," Old Ge cheerfully responded.
He took off his hat to adjust it, some hair fluttering in the wind.
"We have set times and specific locations; just refer to those for the review. Your surveillance system isn't malfunctioning, is it?" Old Ge spoke again, sounding almost jovial.
The vice-principal hurriedly said, "No, it definitely won't be..."
It wasn't highly important surveillance; how could it just happen to be faulty? Without a major problem, the surveillance usually worked fine.
Of course, if Tang Fangjing were to do the inspection, it was very possible that the surveillance might "malfunction"—it was strangely mystical like that.
The vice-principal escorted Old Ge to the disciplinary director to check the surveillance, then turned back to report. It was indeed a stroke of luck that the previous incident hadn't been disclosed, which was good.