The man who killed 35 people and injured 43 others by ramming into a crowd at a stadium in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, has been sentenced to death by a local court for using dangerous means to harm public security.
The Zhuhai Intermediate People's Court publicly heard the case on Friday, with pronouncement of the conviction and penalty to Fan Weiqiu. It also deprived Fan of political rights for life.
The court found that Fan drove his car and plowed into group of people who were exercising at a sports center on the evening of Nov 11, leading to significant casualties, as he was dissatisfied with the split of financial assets in his divorce.
The court said that it made the ruling because Fan's criminal motive was extremely despicable, the nature of his offense was extremely heinous, the means he used were particularly cruel, and the consequence of the attack was particularly severe. His action brought immense harm to the society, it added.
During the trial, Fan and his lawyer shared opinions on the evidence provided by prosecutors, and Fan confessed to the crime in his final statement.
A few family members of victims of the attack, some national lawmakers, political advisers and residents attended the case hearing and ruling announcement.
The tragedy has received huge attention among the public since its disclosure. Chinese judicial authorities have also pledged to strengthen the fight against crimes that seriously endanger public security, disrupt social stability and harm people's life, health and property safety from then on, so that the justice can be upheld.
