"The Stolen Comic Book" Simplified Mock Trial

Lesson Plans - Law

The Case of "The Stolen Comic Book"

Fact Situation:

Tip was ten years old and loved comic books.

- He went with his friends to the Mall bookstore everyday to look for any new comic books.
- His mother didn't give him money to buy comic books.
- But, every day he and his friends would get together and compare what they had taken from the shops they visited.
- They also shared stories about how scared they were when they stole.
- The most popular stories among the group were about how they narrowly escaped being caught.

Nok, who was a clerk in the Mall bookstore, also loved comic books and felt lucky that she was able to see the new comic books as soon as they came to the store.

- But the day after a new comic book came to the store was hard for her, because a group of kids who often came to the store, would try to take new comic books without paying.
- The manager blamed her if that happened.

It was Saturday and the new adventure comic which had arrived on Friday was on the shelf.

- Nok had seen Tip in the store many times and thought he was one of the kids taking comic books without paying, so she kept an eye on him.
- As she was taking payment from another customer she looked into the overhead mirror and saw Tip put a comic book intto his pants so it couldn't be seen.
- Tip walked out of the store and Nok asked the other clerk to finish checking out the customer, while she went after Tip.
- Nok caught up with Tip next to a policeman and asked Tip to stop.
- She explained to the policeman that she had seen Tip put a comic book into his pants and would she/he check.
- The policeman asked Tip to show what he had in his pants and found the new adventure comic book.
- Tip told the policeman that he had bought the comic book the day before and the receipt was at home.
- Nok said this comic book only arrived at the store today, so Tip was lying.
- "What do you want to do?" The policeman asked Nok.
- Nok said: “If he doesn’t learn what he is doing is wrong now, he will keep doing it, and I think he is one of the gang of kids that do this all the time.”
- She asked the policeman to take Tip into custody and that she would file a complaint.

Tip’s mother was called to pick Tip up in the Police Station because he had been caught stealing and a complaint had been filed.

The policeman explained that Tip would have to go to court and answer to the charge of theft.
Tip’s mother complained that Tip was only ten years old, and that it wasn't fair.

The Case of Stolen Comic Book - A Simplified Mock Trial based on the Canada School Net Simplified Mock Trial Design.