The projection showed the judge and lawyers the crime scene directly. (Photo/CGTN)
Virtual Reality (VR) technology was officially used at a courtroom in Beijing's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court on Thursday.
Zhang, 30, stabbed his ex-girlfriend, Liu, 19, to death in a Beijing office in September 2017. After the murder, Zhang stayed at the crime scene till the police arrived.
The only witness, Mr. Dong, one of the victim's colleagues, attended the court and became the first person in China to use VR technology to revisit a crime scene.
In the courtroom, the prosecutor invited Dong to put on the VR headset and simulated the scene from different angles by controlling the console. After putting on the headset, Dong demonstrated what he had witnessed during the murder. A big projection in front of him displayed the scene for the judge and lawyers in the courtroom.
"I stood behind Zhang, who asked Liu something, and then stabbed himself. Enraged by Liu's few response to his self-destructive behavior, he stabbed her," Dong said.
PowerPoint has been one of the most common testimony tools in China. To improve its efficiency, The Department of Supervision in Beijing developed a visual system for presenting evidence that can include text, photos and videos. VR technology is now part of this system. Besides, such immersive technology can also be used by lawyers and investigators to look inside a crime scene or watch a simulation of an accident with details.
"The VR technology can present evidence in a more direct and transparent way", Zhuang Wei, an officer with the Beijing Municipal People's Procurator told Xinhua News, "The visual system can effectively help investigators and judges improve efficiency, strengthen the power of the evidence and visualize the testimony in the courtroom".
