China jails son of General Li Shuangjiang over rape case
Li Tianyi, the teenage son of China’s General Li Shuangjiang, has been sentenced to ten years in prison over involvement in the gang rape of a woman.
Thu Sep 26, 2013 10:47AM GMT
A court in China has sentenced the teenage son of the country’s General Li Shuangjiang to ten years in prison over involvement in the gang rape of a woman earlier this year.
The court ruling was issued on Thursday.
The teenager was found guilty of gang raping the woman in a hotel in the Chinese capital, Beijing, in February. Four other men have also been found guilty and sentenced to three and 12 years in jail.
The case stirred controversy and public outrage against children of the Chinese political elite, who are often seen as being above the law.
The court did not give details on how Li Tianyi, 17, pleaded during the trial of his case in August.
Chinese news sources say Li Tianyi did not admit to the sexual assault.
An attorney for the family, Chen Shu, said that sentence was unjust.
“This decision is based on evidence that is delayed and verbal testimony. This type of verbal testimony is unreliable.”
In 2011, Li Tianyi crashed into another car in Beijing, before physically beating a man and woman inside the vehicle. He was sentenced to one year in juvenile correctional facility. His father made a public apology following the incident.
General Li Shuangjiang, with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), is also known for performing patriotic songs on Chinese television.
Li Tianyi Guilty of Gang Rape: Sentenced 10 Years in Prison
by Fauna on Thursday, September 26, 2013
Li Tianyi receives 10 years for rape, (mother) Meng Ge appears at sentencing.
The following news story is among the most viewed and discussed on popular Chinese web portal NetEase… On NetEase: Li Tianyi Convicted of Rape, Sentenced to 10 Years of Prison
ChinaNews September 26 report — According to information from the official Beijing Court weibo “京法网事”, the Beijing Haidian Court publicly pronounced the sentence in the gang rape case involving five defendants including Li X this morning. The court believes that the truth of the five defendants having committed the crime of rape is clear, that the evidence is sufficient, the criminal charge stands, and the actions of the five defendants constitute gang rape.
The court believes: Defendants Li X, Wang X, Wei X (elder brother), Zhang X, and Wei X (younger brother) violated the will of the woman, jointly used violence to rape the woman, and that their actions uniformly constitute gang rape. The facts of the rape charge of the Beijing Municipal Haidian District People’s Prosecutor’s Office against the five defendants are clear, the evidence indeed sufficient, and the criminal charge holds. The five defendants’ actions constitute gang rape, caused harm to the victim both physically and mentally, its very nature vile, of great harm to society, and should be punished in accordance with the law. The indecent acts done to the victim during the crime should be viewed as part of the overall criminal act of rape, and was taken into consideration in the sentencing.
2013 September 19, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Haidian Sub-Bureau received a female victim’s reporting of a crime. According to the female victim’s claims, on the night of February 17th, after drinking with Li X and company in a nightclub/bar in Haidian district, she was taken to a hotel and gang-raped. February 20th, after the Haidian Public Security Sub-Bureau launched an investigation, it arrested the 5 people involved including Li X. The 5 people were then detained as criminals under suspicion of rape. July 8th, Haidian prosecutors publicly charged the five defendants including Li X on suspicion of rape.
August 28, the case of five people including Li X suspected of rape went to trial in the Haidian Court #17 courtroom, with the trial lasting two days. Because the case involved minors and individual privacy, according to legal regulations, the court lawfully did not make public the trial. During the trial, the victim Yang X did not appear in court due to her poor mental and physical condition.
Photo is of the masses outside the court supporting the victim’s lawyer.
Lawyers Lan He and Chen Shu were besieged outside the court.
