The case of child trafficker Norman Hewitt caused quite a stir.
Since there was no juvenile law provision in the imperial code, there was a tendency to be tacitly lenient, often reducing the sentence slightly or something along those lines.
But Abel shattered that convention all at once by handing down a heavy sentence to a seven-year-old child.
"It's clearly a trial that has never been held before, but I can understand if His Majesty the Duke conducts it."
"That's because it was a fair judgment. Honestly, I think the child would've grown up without much punishment. He'd have ended up like Skylar Sierra."
"Is it because that guy is the example? It makes perfect sense."
Public opinion echoed this sentiment not only among ordinary citizens but also within the legal community. There was a prevailing atmosphere that children didn't really know anything, simply because they were young.