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Jail term in deaf-mute rapes

A FORMER deputy headmaster at a school for the speech and hearing-impaired in east China's Zhejiang Province has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping seven female students more than 10 years ago.

The Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court issued the ruling after finding the school official, Zhao Yuhuan, guilty, China News Service said yesterday.

Zhao had worked at the deaf-mute school in Wencheng County.

Seven deaf-mute women who had studied at the school called police last June to say they were raped by Zhao more than 10 years ago.

Led by the women, Wencheng police took evidence from Zhao's home and the school several days later.

Zhao was taken away by police on June 9, 2008, for alleged raping the women. Police said Zhao confessed to having sex with the students since 1988 when the school was established.

Zhao's detention caused a storm of controversy in the local community. Some said he was the target of retaliation by a developer who was after the school's land, while others said a female student attempted to blackmail Zhao out of 70,000 yuan (US$10,258).

A third version said the allegations were in retaliation against Zhao after he served as an interpreter for local police when officers were investigating a gang of deaf-mute robbers.

One of the suspects, who was identified as Ke, was among the seven women who said Zhao had raped her. However, the Wenzhou court said Zhao's confession supported the rape allegations.




 

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