Girl's torching earns student 12 years in jail
By Li Qian |
May 11, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A HIGH school student who set fire to a girl who rejected his romantic advances was sentenced to 12 years and a month for intentional injury, the Baohe District People's Court in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province, said yesterday.
Tao Rukun, 17, appeared calm during the seven-minute sentencing while his classmate, Zhou Yan, who was disfigured in the fire, didn't appear in court, the China Central Television reported.
The court said it didn't give Tao a tougher sentence because he was underage when committing the crimes in September.
"I'm so dissatisfied with the result," Zhou's father said after the verdict, adding that he would appeal the ruling.
Zhou later said on her microblog: "I planned to say something, but now I'm really speechless. I could only smile bitterly." Earlier yesterday, she said she had expected the court to render justice.
Zhou's relatives lodged civil litigation and claimed 2 million yuan (US$317,600) as compensation. The two sides haven't reached any agreement on an amount.
In a nine-hour, closed-door hearing on April 23, prosecutors said Tao had pined after Zhou for a long time but failed to win her heart. Feeling spurned, he went to her home in September, poured gasoline on her face and ignited it with a lighter.
Hospital officials said that about 32 percent of the girl's body was burned. Zhou's left ear was mutilated, most of her face became disfigured and she was left with severe burns on her head, neck, hands and legs.
The badly burned girl cried during the trial in April and refused Tao's apology when he denied charges of intentional injury.
She left the courtroom twice due to pain, her father said, adding that she couldn't stay calm at the sight of Tao.
Tao Rukun, 17, appeared calm during the seven-minute sentencing while his classmate, Zhou Yan, who was disfigured in the fire, didn't appear in court, the China Central Television reported.
The court said it didn't give Tao a tougher sentence because he was underage when committing the crimes in September.
"I'm so dissatisfied with the result," Zhou's father said after the verdict, adding that he would appeal the ruling.
Zhou later said on her microblog: "I planned to say something, but now I'm really speechless. I could only smile bitterly." Earlier yesterday, she said she had expected the court to render justice.
Zhou's relatives lodged civil litigation and claimed 2 million yuan (US$317,600) as compensation. The two sides haven't reached any agreement on an amount.
In a nine-hour, closed-door hearing on April 23, prosecutors said Tao had pined after Zhou for a long time but failed to win her heart. Feeling spurned, he went to her home in September, poured gasoline on her face and ignited it with a lighter.
Hospital officials said that about 32 percent of the girl's body was burned. Zhou's left ear was mutilated, most of her face became disfigured and she was left with severe burns on her head, neck, hands and legs.
The badly burned girl cried during the trial in April and refused Tao's apology when he denied charges of intentional injury.
She left the courtroom twice due to pain, her father said, adding that she couldn't stay calm at the sight of Tao.
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