Don't feel bad for people like that.  They didn't read the rules before they plagiarized content, and you shouldn't even have to know there's a rule in place on a forum to know better.  The rule is there, and so is the consequence for breaking the rule.  In case you haven't noticed, plagiarism here is like an epidemic, and the punishment for doing it doesn't need to be softened--plus this topic has come up before and the general consensus was that lifetime bans were appropriate.  Theymos didn't change a thing.

That particular ban appeal that you linked to was so full of heartfelt emotion and a cry for mercy....and you fell for it.  Members who pull this shit aren't being honest right from the start and don't expect them to learn their lesson.  They'll just keep trying to figure out ways to not get caught, because there's a reason why they resort to copy/pasting:  they don't know how to write, or have nothing to say, and they have to write something in order to get paid from the bounty they're in.  It's just laziness mixed with dishonesty, and that kind of behavior does not need to be tempered with mercy.

This is not the justice system, and any comparisons between the rules of an internet forum and any given legal system are just plain wrong.