Woman 'too despondent to live' faces trial
A screenshot from a surveillance video shows 54-year-old Lin looking at jewelry before she is said to have grabbed it and left the store.
A woman, who said she was “too despondent to live” and wanted to be jailed to see what prison life is like, is facing trial after being arrested by police in Qingpu District.
Prosecutors said the 54-year-old, surnamed Lin, moved to a rented apartment and lost contact with her family after her divorce in 2000. When she retired in 2016, she felt bored and unwell, suffering from headaches and tightness in the chest, but doctors could find nothing wrong.
Tired of her life, prosecutors said, she moved to a five-star hotel at the end of last year and two months later had spent all her 300,000-yuan (US$43,530) savings.
Broke, she decided to rob a jewelry store.
Even if caught by police, she could enjoy life in prison, she is reported as having thought.
When shown an expensive gold item in the store, she grabbed it and tried to run off but was stopped by security staff and taken to a police station.
Released on bail pending trial, she tried to rob another jewelry store the next day.
Lin said she had planned to rob a bank but there were too many people in the queue.
She was just 5 meters from the second jewelry store when she was caught, giving up without a struggle.
However, after a spell in detention, she said: “I didn't expect the detention center to be like this. It is so uncomfortable.”
A psychiatric evaluation found her to have the capacity for criminal responsibility. The main reason for her violating the law was isolation from society, prosecutors said.
