A Chinese farmer got 13-year jail term Monday for stealing art pieces from the Forbidden City last year, court authorities said.

Shi Baikui, 27, was fined 13,000 yuan (2,059 U.S. dollars) and was deprived of his political rights for three years, according to the ruling announced by the Second Intermediate People's Court in Beijing Monday morning.

Shi, from eastern Shandong Province, broke into the heavily guarded former home of Chinese emperors in the heart of Beijing, and stolen nine art pieces made of gold and jewels, on May 8, 2011, the court said in a statement.

While hastily escaping, Shi left behind five of the pieces in the Forbidden City's compound. Failing to immediately sell the treasures, he threw the other four pieces away the next day, the document said.

Six pieces were recovered and the three missing were estimated to be worth 150,000 yuan (23,760 U.S. dollars) in total.

Shi was apprehended by police at an Internet cafe in Beijing's Fengtai district 58 hours after the theft.

【新闻快讯】3月19日上午，备受公众关注的“5·8”故宫失窃案一审宣判。依照中华人民共和国刑法，北京市第二中级人民法院宣判：判决石柏魁有期徒刑13年，剥夺政治权利3年，罚金1万3千元。

2011年5月8日，故宫博物院发生窃案，香港两依藏博物馆在斋宫临时展出的7件展品失窃。据两依藏博物馆馆长王夏虹介绍，丢失展品为金银镶嵌宝石的西式化妆盒，并称“估计价值数千万元”。案发58小时后，犯罪嫌疑人石柏魁在北京市丰台区一家网吧被警方抓获。

该案件2012年2月17日开庭审理，一审现场，控辩双方就“被盗展品价值几何”“石柏魁盗窃是预谋盗窃还是临时起意”“在故宫盗窃是否该从重量刑”等问题展开激辩。一审当时并未当庭宣判。

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