A man in China has been sentenced to eight months in prison for stealing gold jewellery worth about 18,363 yuan (S$3,400) from his unconscious friend following a car accident.
The incident took place around midnight on 4 Aug 2025 at the Sierting Viaduct in Gulou District, Fuzhou, Fujian.
The defendant, surnamed Li (name transliterated from Mandarin), was crossing the road with his friend, Zhao (name transliterated from Mandarin), when the latter was struck by a car.
While the driver was calling emergency services and setting up warning signages, Li decided to take advantage of the situation.
He removed a gold necklace weighing 10.195g and a gold bracelet weighing 12.616g from Mr Zhao. Both items were reportedly 99.9% pure gold.
Source: narong27 on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
Li then hid the jewellery in a bag he was carrying.
The stolen items were later appraised at a total value of 18,363 yuan.
A day after the accident, Li handed over the gold necklace to the victim’s family after they discussed about involving the police.
He claimed he had found the necklace when returning to the accident scene.
However, on 10 Aug, the family realised that the gold bracelet was also missing.
At first, Li denied seeing it, but the next day, he said he had discovered the bracelet while cleaning a mahjong machine at home and returned it.
Chinese authorities apprehended Li on 11 Aug 2025.
The Gulou District Court later ruled that his actions constituted theft, as he had taken the items with the intent of illegal possession.
Source: HK01
Taking into account his confession, guilty plea, the return of all stolen goods, and a letter of forgiveness from the victim’s family, the court sentenced Li to eight months’ imprisonment.
He was also fined 10,000 yuan (S$1,860).
Also read: Man steals gold medal from deity statue in Taiwan temple while pretending to offer prayers
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Featured image adapted from narong27 on Canva, for illustration purposes only, and HK01.