林俊案：受害人家庭影响陈述 英文版全文

I will never see his smiling face on video chat or hear about his new accomplishments or hear his laugh. Lin Jun”s birthday is on December 30 and he will never be there for his birthday or ours. 

In traditional Chinese culture, your child grows up to take care of you when you get old. A Chinese parent has a saying : “养儿防老” (Yang (3) er(2) fang(2) lao(3)). "Having a child takes care of old age" or "Raising a child prevents loneliness in old age”. He will not be there for me and Lin Jun’s mother in our old age. I turned sixty years old at the start of the trial and so did Lin Jun’s mother a few days later. We have only misery as a gift and feel pain for his little sister Mei Mei. I thought I would be able to retire and enjoy my son being there for me, with me, to let me feel I have been a good father. His chair is empty at my home. His phone never answers. All gone. I have no ability or desire to want anything else.

 I am told that the accused will receive the maximum under Canadian judicial system for one of his crimes. I appreciate the result. 

I am told that a prisoner in Canada is given time to reflect on his crime, to live with the bad memories, to perhaps feel regret, to be cut off from family, to be limited in their movements. In that understanding, I think that his future sounds like mine, Lin Jun’s mother’s and Lin Jun’s sister. We are cut off from our son, and given the rest of our lives to think. We reflect on that crime, we feel regret, we have no desire to go anywhere or see people. 

I am also told that for the next years, a prisoner will be housed, his bed provided, his food prepared, doctors made available and psychiatrists to listen to him and give him medication when he tells them that he feels bad.

 No one will house us, feed us or provide doctors. Lin Jun will never be there for us. We do not want to tell our story because it is too sad to repeat. We cannot talk much about Lin Jun without talking about his murder. The murder has robbed us not only of Lin Jun but our ability to think and talk about him without feeling pain and shame.

 I had come to see your trial system to see justice done and I leave satisfied that you have not let my son down. 

I had come to learn what happened to my son that night and I leave without a true or a complete answer. 

I had come to see remorse, to hear some form of apology, and I leave without anything. 

Lin Diran