A man who was arrested for trying to steal books in Chongqing municipality confessed on Monday that he stole 1,565 books in the last three years.Good luck, Mr. Liu. I suspect you're going to need it.
Surnamed Liu, he said he felt his crime was just a bad habit but the hobby costs several bookstores 37,000 yuan ($5,417) in losses.
After guards stopped him on Monday, he told police he wanted to read them, not to sell them.
"I have no money but like reading very much, so I stole the books," Liu said.
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Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Chinese Book Thief Really, Really Likes to Read
From ChinaDaily comes a story about a man who loves books more than anything else in the world. I hope Chinese authorities cut the guy a little slack.
He's *stealing* 10+ books a week for years and wants to pass it off as a harmless little bad habit? Are we sure he's not American?
ReplyDeleteI kind of feel for the guy...
ReplyDeleteHe WAS a pretty ambitious thief, wasn't he, Mella? :-)
ReplyDeleteSuzy, my concern is the Chinese prison system and the extreme penalties the country imposes on its criminals. I don't find it too far fetched to think that this man is in very, very serious trouble.
ReplyDelete