Last month, a Chinese court sentenced a man to death for driving his car into a crowd, killing 35 people, raising public concerns about mass killings.
In handing down the verdict on Friday, a court in the southern city of Zhuhai said Fan Weiqiu was angry because she was dissatisfied with the divorce settlement. The victims were exercising at a sports center at the time of the attack. Phan pleaded guilty to endangering public safety by dangerous means, according to a court statement.
The court stated that Fan's “motives for the crime were extremely despicable, the nature of the crime was extremely despicable, the means of crime were particularly cruel, and the consequences of the crime were particularly serious and caused great social damage.” Ta.
According to a court statement, Huang admitted his guilt in front of some of the victims' families, authorities and the public.
The attack was one of several in China from late October to November, prompting Chinese President Xi Jinping to urge local governments to take measures to prevent future “extreme incidents.” I ordered him to take lessons. His orders led local leaders to pledge to investigate personal disputes that could trigger an invasion, from marital troubles to disagreements over inheritance. It became.
Fan's sentence is the second in quick succession handed down just weeks after the latest attack, much faster than a typical Chinese trial.
Earlier this week, a court handed down a suspended death sentence for two years to a driver who crashed his car into elementary school students and their parents in Hunan province, injuring 30 people. Such sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment.
A court in Changde city said the driver was complaining about losing the money he had invested.
Such attacks on crowds, using cars and knives, are not new in China, but they have become more common in recent months, and the Zhuhai attack left many dead, leading to so-called “social revenge.” ” There is a renewed focus on crime. Where attackers destructively vent their anger over personal issues.
Chinese authorities have strictly blocked all reporting on the attack, censoring videos and witness accounts posted on social media, and releasing only basic information, often hours later. do.
The death toll in Zhuhai was not announced until 24 hours after the attack. According to police, 35 people were killed and 43 others injured. Police said the driver, 62-year-old Huang, was found inside the car trying to stab himself with a knife.
Police set up barricades and prohibited people from entering the sports facility the day after the incident. Instead, members of the public left bouquets of flowers in an adjacent square.
