Bank robbery blast was 'abetted,' convict says
By Li Qian |
April 28, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE man who set off a fatal explosion in a bank robbery attempt last December testified yesterday that he was "abetted" to commit the crime at a court hearing in the central city of Wuhan.
Wang Haijian, 25, a rural resident in Hubei Province, said one of his two partners, Wang Wei, 30, encouraged him to make explosives and plan the robbery. But prosecutors insisted he was the main culprit rather than an accomplice and urged the court to give him a death sentence.
"We are trying hard to get him a reprieve and hope he won't be executed immediately," Wang's lawyer said.
In Wang's home village, hundreds of people signed a petition asking for lenient punishment because Wang "was a hard-working student and often helped villagers to repair their home appliances free of charge," the Guangzhou Daily reported.
The trio was charged with setting off explosives outside a China Construction Bank branch in Wuhan last December 1, which killed two people and injured 15.
Prosecutors said Wang put the hidden explosives in front of the bank office and detonated them at 5:30pm when bank clerks were carrying cash to a delivery truck.
Wang said he had planned to give up carrying out the robbery because the vehicle didn't park in front of the bank. But he felt so nervous that he "accidentally" pressed the button on a remote control, Dragon TV reported.
He didn't steal the money after the blast, said Hu Yanmei, Wang's lawyer, adding that he even took the risk to ask a cash vehicle security guard "Are you OK?"
Wang Haijian, 25, a rural resident in Hubei Province, said one of his two partners, Wang Wei, 30, encouraged him to make explosives and plan the robbery. But prosecutors insisted he was the main culprit rather than an accomplice and urged the court to give him a death sentence.
"We are trying hard to get him a reprieve and hope he won't be executed immediately," Wang's lawyer said.
In Wang's home village, hundreds of people signed a petition asking for lenient punishment because Wang "was a hard-working student and often helped villagers to repair their home appliances free of charge," the Guangzhou Daily reported.
The trio was charged with setting off explosives outside a China Construction Bank branch in Wuhan last December 1, which killed two people and injured 15.
Prosecutors said Wang put the hidden explosives in front of the bank office and detonated them at 5:30pm when bank clerks were carrying cash to a delivery truck.
Wang said he had planned to give up carrying out the robbery because the vehicle didn't park in front of the bank. But he felt so nervous that he "accidentally" pressed the button on a remote control, Dragon TV reported.
He didn't steal the money after the blast, said Hu Yanmei, Wang's lawyer, adding that he even took the risk to ask a cash vehicle security guard "Are you OK?"
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