The courtroom that morning was really busy. It felt tired. There were cases that had to be heard before this one. The judge had already been listening for a time. The lawyers just kept changing one after another. The police officers were standing in the place the whole day. People from the public were. Going. Nobody expected that this case would slow everything down. The courtroom and the people in it, like the judge and the lawyers and the police were all ready to get this over with. This case, the courtroom case was going to slow everything down.
The criminal was an old man.
This man does not look dangerous. He is not loud. The man has hair that is a little messy. His body is thin and weak. He is wearing jail clothes that are hanging loose on him. The man is holding a walking stick because his legs are shaking. The man is standing with the support of the police. The police are not holding him forcefully. The man looks confused like he does not fully understand where the man is. The man looks a bit lost like the man is not really sure what is going on.
The judge looked at him twice. He really caught the judges attention so the judge looked at him twice.
The file was opened by the judge. The judge read the age of the person. The person is seventy two years old. The crime is not a deal. It is a case of shop theft. The amount stolen is small. This is a repeat offence because the person was hungry the time too. The judge looks serious. The judge is not angry. The judge is taking the crime of shop theft seriously. The person who committed the crime of shop theft is seventy two years old.
Lawyers have a way of talking that can be really hard to understand. They use words and long sentences. It is like they are speaking a language. The lawyer speak is very formal and serious. Lawyer speak can be confusing, for people who’re not lawyers. Lawyer speak is something that lawyers use every day.
The man said that the client is really old. The client has no family to take care of him. He has no income coming in and no house to call his own. The man also said that the clients health is not good. He showed some papers to prove it. The client has diabetes and a weak heart. There was a note, from the doctor. The man asked the court to be merciful and grant the client bail so the old man can go to a shelter. The old man just sat there silently. The client, the man needs help and a place to stay.
He looked down. His hands were shaking. He was breathing slowly.
The judge asked the man a question directly. The judge wanted to know something, from the man. The old man was going to have to answer the judges question.
The man asks why you take things that do not belong to you again. He wants to know why you steal again. The question is, about you stealing.
The old man lifted his head slowly. His eyes were watery. He tried to speak. His voice did not come out at first. He had to clear his throat. Then he said some words. The old man said that he was hungry. The old man said that the shelter was full that night. The old man said that the shop light was, on. The old man said that he thought maybe he could get a bread without anyone noticing. The mans English was broken. His sentences would stop in the middle.. Everyone was able to understand what the old man was trying to say.
Public silent.
The judge asked where his family was. He wanted to know about his family. The judge really needed to find out what happened to his family.
The old man said that his wife died a time ago. His son left home years back and he has not heard from him since. The old man does not know where his son is. The old man said that the nights are very cold. When you are old hunger hurts more. The old man feels this way because he is old and alone. The old man and his nights are cold. He is hungry.
The judge leans back, in his chair.
Courtroom very quiet now.
The judge asks if the person understands that what they did was a crime and it was wrong. The judge wants to make sure the person knows what they did was not okay. The judge is asking this question to see if the person understands the crime they committed.
The old man nodded again and again. He said yes. He also said that it was a shame. The old man said that he never thought that his life would end like this.
The judge needs to stop speaking now. The judge should just be quiet.
He looks at the file for a time.
That pause was heavy.
The judge will speak slowly.
This person says that the law is the law. He thinks stealing is wrong.. At the same time he also says that the court is not blind.
The court can see things clearly.
He says jail is not the place for a man like this.
The law says one thing. He believes punishment should not take away a persons dignity.
He thinks the punishment should not kill the dignity of the law either because the law is supposed to be fair to people, like this man.
The judge decided to grant bail to the person. The person is now allowed to leave because the judge granted bail. This means the judge gave permission for the person to go free until the trial and this happened when the judge grant bail.
The old man did not understand it at first. He had to think about it for a moment. The old man was confused when he heard it the time.
The lawyer touched the mans arm gently. The lawyer explained things to the man slowly. The mans eyes opened really wide. Tears started coming down the mans face immediately.
The old man folded his hands together in front of the judge. The old man tried to stand up but his body was very weak. The old man was trying to be strong in front of the judge. The lawyer was being very kind, to the man.
The judge asked him to take care of himself. He said that the address of the shelter had been given to him. He also said that medical help had been arranged for the person in need the medical help was for him and the shelter was, for him well.
The police took off the handcuff.
That thing is small. It is very powerful. The sound is small. The sound is also very powerful.
The old man rubbed his wrist. He was crying,. He was doing it very quietly. It was not loud all. The old man said thank you times. The mans voice was shaking.
People usually have some kind of feeling when they are out, in public. The public feels something when they see things happening around them. What the public feels is important because it can affect how they think about things. The public feels something. That is what matters to them.
Some people smile softly. They have a smile, on their face. Some people look down they do not look up all. The smile people smile is a smile.
The judge will end the hearing. Then he will leave the courtroom. The judge has to end the hearing. The judge will leave after that.
Old man walk slowly out. Sunlight outside look bright for him. He stop for moment and breathe deep.That day courtroom didn’t see criminal.It saw old man fighting hunger.