A minor legal conflict
Only once in my life have I clashed with the law. The whole process of being arrested and taken to court was a very unpleasant experience at that time, but now it has become the material of a good story. What particularly annoys me is the arbitrariness of my arrest and subsequent court trial.
It happened in February about 12 years ago, a few months after I graduated from middle school, but I can't go to college until 10, so I'm still at home.
One morning, I came to Richmond, a suburb of London, not far from where I live. That was when I was looking for a temporary job in order to earn some money to travel. As the weather was fine and there was nothing urgent, I looked at the shop window and strolled leisurely in the park. Sometimes I just stop and look around. This laziness must have ruined me.
It happened at about 1 1 30. I couldn't find a job in the local library. Just after I set off, I saw a man crossing the street, apparently wanting to talk to me. I thought he was going to ask me the time. Unexpectedly, he said he was a policeman and wanted to arrest me. At first I thought it was a joke, but then a policeman in police uniform came, and I had no doubt.
"Why did you arrest me?" I asked.
"Wandering around, suspected of committing a crime." He said.
"What case?" I asked again.
"Steal." He said.
"Steal what?" I asked.
"bottle." He said, his expression was very serious.
"Oh." I said.
What happened later was that petty theft often happened in this area, especially stealing bottles on the front steps.
Then, I made a big mistake. At that time, I was only nineteen years old and my hair was long and messy. I thought I was a member of the "youth counterculture" in the 1960s. Therefore, I want to show an indifferent attitude towards this, so I say in a casual and indifferent tone, "How long have you been following me?" In this way, in their eyes, I am used to this situation, which in turn makes them believe that I am a complete villain.
A few minutes later, a police car came.
"Sit in the back," they said. "Put your hands on the front seat and don't move."
They are sitting around me, which is no joke.
At the police station, they questioned me for hours. I continue to pretend to be sophisticated and get used to it. When they asked me what I had been doing, I told them that I was looking for a job. "Aha!" Now I can see them thinking, "unemployed".
Finally, I was formally charged and told that I would be tried in Richmond District Court next Monday. They just let me go.
I want to defend myself in court. But as soon as my father found out what had happened, he hired me a very good lawyer. That Monday, we brought all kinds of witnesses to court, including my middle school English teacher as a witness of my behavior, but the court didn't send him a message to testify. My experiment didn't go that far. Only 15 minutes after the trial, the judge dismissed the case and I was acquitted. The poor policeman has no chance of winning. My lawyer even succeeded in making the police bear the legal expenses.
So, I have no criminal record. But the most shocking thing at that time was the evidence that I was obviously acquitted. I have a standard accent, respectable middle-class parents to sue, reliable witnesses, and obviously I can afford a good lawyer. Considering the vagueness of this accusation, I am sure that if I was born in a family with different backgrounds and really lost my job, I might be found guilty. When my lawyer asked for compensation for attorney's fees, his defense obviously revolved around the fact that I had "excellent academic performance".
At the same time, outside the court, a policeman who arrested me complained to my mother in frustration that another young man wanted to do the right thing with the police. He told me reproachfully, "You could have helped us when we arrested you."
What does he mean by saying that? Maybe it means I should act angry and say, "Hey, do you know who I'm talking to? I am ambitious and have excellent academic performance. How dare you arrest me? " In this case, they may apologize to me and take off their hats and let me go.