Beyond Doubt
The courtroom was silent. In the public gallery, people leaned forward to hear. A young man stood accused of shoplifting, and the lawyer was asking the questions.
“You say the items were taken from the shop,” the lawyer said. “But were they actually paid for?”
“No,” the witness replied. “They were not paid for. I saw him walk out.”
“You saw him? Or you think you saw him? It was raining hard. The window must have been wet.”
“It was raining,” the witness admitted. “But I'm certain it was him.”
The judge raised a hand. “The witness says she is certain. The defence says it can't be proved. These are two different things.”
The lawyer turned to the judge. “My client says he paid at the machine. If that is true, the receipt must exist somewhere. It can't simply have vanished.”
“The shop says no receipt was printed,” the judge said. “But a machine can fail. That has not been ruled out.”
“Exactly,” the lawyer said. “He can't be guilty if the evidence isn't certain. A man should not be punished on a rainy window and a maybe.”
The judge wrote something down slowly. “The court will not decide today. Nothing here has been proved beyond doubt — not yet.”
In the gallery, a woman whispered to her neighbour, “So is he a criminal or not?”
“That,” her neighbour whispered back, “is exactly the question.”