I owe my success to a caring judge

Wang Ming (not his real name), a 24-year-old ex-offender who now studies in France.

Wen I stole mobile phones and cash during my high school days, I never thought of myself as a criminal - I just wanted to show courage and stop other people from looking down on me.

I knew little about the crime of robbery, let alone the punishment, until I was arrested in 2011 and told by police officers that the penalty could be 10 years in prison.