Death sentence for fatal blaze
Print Edition
A MAN who killed 14 people when he set fire to a bra factory in a dispute over wages was sentenced to death yesterday in south China’s Guangdong Province.
Liu Shuangyun, 27, said he was pleased to receive the death penalty, his lawyer Lai Shengqi told The Beijing News.
Liu, a migrant worker from Hunan Province, doused cloth and sponges with petrol at the factory in Chendian Town, Shantou City, and set them alight on December 4 last year.
Almost 30 members of staff were trapped inside the four-story building when the fire broke out, Shantou Intermediate People’s Court heard.
Fourteen workers died of smoke inhalation and the others suffered slight injuries.
Goods worth 2.3 million yuan (US$375,800) were destroyed.
Police caught Liu in Shantou’s neighboring city of Puning several hours after the fire, according to the website of local judicial authorities.
In an interview with Guangdong TV, Liu said he decided on impulse to start the fire as he was overwhelmed by anger.
He said he was owed 3,000 yuan (US$481) in back wages when he quit his job at the factory.
Liu said he tried to claim his money several times.
Factory management said last November Liu lied about the number of garments he’d made — claiming an extra 1,560 items.
Wages were paid according to the number produced.
The factory owner, surnamed Chen, refused to pay Liu and the dispute escalated.
In his TV interview, Liu said that in his spur of the moment decision to start the fire, he hadn’t considered the dangers.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
