Illiterate thief caught at book fair

A 27-year-old illiterate woman has been sentenced to six months of probation for stealing a smartphone at the Shanghai Book Fair, Jing'an District People's Court said Monday.

The defendant, Chen Lan, from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, figured it would be easier to steal in crowded places like the annual book fair.

The unemployed and illiterate woman stole an iPhone 4s that was charging on a counter last Wednesday while she pretended to be leafing through several new books. She got caught when she tried to run away. Chen was the first person sentenced for stealing at the Shanghai Book Fair this year.