Student receives court verdict, college admission in one day

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An 18-year-old high school graduate from southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality received two letters in the mail on the same day which turned his life upside down – an admission letter from his dream college and a court verdict.

The young man, identified by his surname Liu, was sentenced to four months in detention after stealing a stranger’s phone last month, the Beijing News reported.

He was placed on probation for six months, and ordered to remain in his hometown, potentially derailing his plans of attending the academic year in September.

Liu received a court verdict that could potentially stop him from attending college. /The Paper Photo

Liu received the college admission letter on the same day as the court verdict. /The Paper Photo

On July 1, one month after he finished the college entrance examinations, Liu visited a local Internet cafe and stayed overnight playing video games. After taking a nap, he woke up the next morning to discover that his phone had disappeared.

While Liu desperately searched for his phone, he discovered a man sleeping behind him with his phone by his side.

Feeling upset and mad, Liu impulsively decided to pocket the stranger’s device as compensation for his own loss.

Liu picked up the phone and dashed out. The young man, however, soon panicked and regretted his action, realizing he had committed a crime.

Liu admitted to the police he threw away the stolen phone. /The Paper Photo

"I thought about returning the phone, but I didn't know what to say," Liu told the media outlet. He ended up throwing the phone in the trash.

Police found Liu three days after the incident, and detained him.

According to police investigation, Liu is from an unprivileged family and his parents were against him going to college. Before the incident, Liu was working part-time hoping to earn enough money to support himself through university.

"The offer letter is something I’ve been yearning for," Liu said. "The court verdict, on the other hand, is like a gale that destroyed all my dreams."

As school is about to start in September, it remains to be seen whether Liu could still leave home to attend classes.

According to Chinese law, an offender on probation must serve community corrections and cannot leave their registered permanent residence.

The law also states that people serving community corrections enjoy the same rights as others regarding attending schools or getting employed.

"We hope he can still go to college and start over again," the police officer in charge of the case told Shanghai-based outlet The Paper. Local police are working with Liu’s family to help the young man look for ways to continue his college studies.