Chinese man who drove into crowd killing 35 sentenced to death – National

In a court of law China has sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people last month riding in a crowdin an attack that raised national concerns about mass killings.

Fan Weiqiu vented his anger because he was dissatisfied with his divorce settlement, the court in the southern city of Zhuhai said in handing down the sentence on Friday. The victims were playing sports in a sports center. Fan pleaded guilty to endangering public safety by dangerous means, a court statement said.

Of his “criminal motive was extremely despicable, the nature of the crime was extremely mean, the means of the crime were particularly cruel, and the consequences of the crime were particularly severe, resulting in great social damage,” said the court

The attack was one of several in China in late October and November and prompted Chinese leader Xi Jinping to order local governments to take steps to prevent future “extreme cases”. His order prompted vows from local leaders to investigate personal disputes that could fuel aggression, from marital problems to disagreements over inheritance.

Fan’s sentence was the second handed down in quick succession, just weeks after the recent attacks, much faster than court cases normally take in China.

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A court earlier this week handed down a two-year suspended death sentence to a driver who injured 30 people when he drove into elementary school students and parents in Hunan province. Such sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment.

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The court in the city of Changde said the driver took out his frustrations after losing money he had invested.

Such attacks on crowds, with a car or a knife, are not new in China, but this fall’s flood and the high number of victims in the Zhuhai attack renewed the focus on the problem. The attackers often take out their anger and frustration over a personal matter in what are known as “revenge on society” crimes.

Chinese authorities keep a tight lid on any reports of the attacks, censoring videos and eyewitness accounts posted on social media and publishing only basic information, often many hours afterward.

The death toll in Zhuhai was not announced until 24 hours after the attack. In addition to the 35 people killed, another 43 were injured, the police said. The driver, Fan, who was 62 years old, was found in his car trying to stab himself with a knife, a police statement said.

The day after the attack, the police set up barricades and forbade people from entering the sports complex. Members of the public left bouquets of flowers through an adjacent square instead.

–Associated Press researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report.

& copy 2024 The Canadian Press