Hong Kong tourist convicted of serious weapons smuggling, Zhiming lawyer's defense secures lenient sentence again
Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm's Zhiming lawyer team, attorneys Cao Guanghui and Guo Yixuan, accepted the entrustment of Hong Kong resident Chen's relatives to defend Chen on suspicion of smuggling weapons. The lawyer team recently received the first-instance judgment, in which Chen, who was hired to smuggle firearms into the country, was sentenced to one year of fixed-term imprisonment.
Image source: Internet
On May 2, 2018, Chen, a Hong Kong resident, was employed by others to smuggle guns from Hong Kong into the mainland. When he was caught by customs, four replica guns were seized, which were later identified as firearms through judicial appraisal. After Chen was detained, his relatives immediately hired a lawyer to defend him. However, after multiple in-depth communications with the lawyer, Chen's relatives were not very satisfied with the lawyer they had hired, and the family felt extremely frustrated and helpless. Just as the family was feeling anxious and distraught, in December 2018, they contacted the Zhiming lawyer team of Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm, which was renowned for handling difficult, complex, and major cases, through an "acquaintance." Coincidentally, this "acquaintance" had also sought help from Zhiming lawyers because a relative was suspected of smuggling firearms and ammunition, and had received a reduced sentence and lighter punishment under the defense of Zhiming lawyers.
After consultations with the lawyers of the Zhiming Law Firm team, Mr. Chen's relatives were highly impressed by the team and promptly completed the retention procedures. Upon accepting the retention from Mr. Chen's relatives, lawyers Cao Guanghui and Guo Yixuan of the Zhiming Law Firm team immediately began meticulous and solid work. Given that our client, Mr. Chen, had admitted guilt and had no objections to the facts and circumstances alleged in the indictment, lawyers Cao Guanghui and Guo Yixuan of the Zhiming Law Firm team took a different approach. Using the spirit of the latest joint reply on gun-related cases issued by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate as a blueprint, they approached the case from the perspectives of reason, emotion, and law, and, in light of Mr. Chen's subjective awareness, motives, and purposes, comprehensively assessed the fundamental facts showing that his social harmfulness was minimal, and tailored a defense strategy specifically for him.
In court, lawyers Cao Guanghui and Guo Yixuan submitted their defense arguments: Our client, Chen, was unable to find employment like an ordinary person due to his poor health, which is why he was deceived and exploited by others. His subjective malice was minimal. Moreover, Chen was an accomplice. The firearms involved did not enter society. At the same time, Chen has pleaded guilty and shown remorse. Based on the above factors, we request that the court impose a reduced penalty on Chen so that he may return to his family at an early date and receive timely medical treatment.
After examining the evidence, the court accepted our lawyer’s arguments and ultimately sentenced our client, Chen, to one year of imprisonment (the term to be calculated from the date of custody, i.e., from May 2, 2018 to May 1, 2019). ， Chen will be fortunate to be released and return home on the May Day holiday!
