Crime boss Sun Xiaoguo sentenced to death

SunXiaoguo,ahigh-profilegangleader,assentencedtodeathformultiplecrimesinYunnanprovinceonMonday.

SunhadbeengivenadeathsentencebytheKunmingIntermediatePeoplesCourtforrape,assaultingomen,intentionalinjuryanddisturbanceofpublicorderin1998,butthepenaltyasthenreducedtodeathithato-yearreprievebythePeoplesHighCourtofYunnan.Thesentenceasfurthercutto20yearsbythecourt.

SunasfreedinApril2010afterserving12yearsandfivemonthsinprison.

InOctober,thepeopleshighcourtbegantheretrialofSuns1998case,becauseitfoundthelasinthepreviousrulingsmightberonglyappliedafteritrevieedsomematerialsandvisitedpeoplerelatedtothecase.

OnMonday,thepeopleshighcourtconfirmedtherongfulapplicationofthela,sayingthemistakesshouldbecorrectedandtheoriginalconvictionandsentencegiventoSunbytheloercourtin1998shouldbeupheld.

ThecourtalsoreleasedsomedetailsaboutSunscasein1990s.ItdiscoveredSunhadbeensentencedtothreeyearsinprisonforrapein1995,buthebarelyservedthesentence,ashisparentshelpedhimfalsifymedicalrecordstoescapetheprisonterm.

Whenheasatlarge,SunrapedanotherfourgirlsfromApril1997toJune1997.InNovemberthatyear,heattackedto17-year-oldgirls,injuringoneseriously.InJulyandOctober1997,healsodisturbedthepublicorderandassaultedothers,causingthreeothersinjuries,aordingtothecourt.

ThecourtsaidonMonday:Sundespisedthelasandhismeansofmittingthecrimesereextremelycruel.Hisbehaviorhasbroughtgreatnegativeeffectstothesocietyandpublicsecurity.

WhenthecourtasrevieingSuns1998case,Sunhadbeensentencedto25yearsinprisonbytheYuxiIntermediatePeoplesCourtinYunnaninNovemberfortakingpartinanizedcrimesfrom2013to2018.

ConsideringSunsinpleteservingofthesentencein1995,hismultiplecrimesin1997andhisgang-relatedoffensesafterleavingtheprison,thepeopleshighcourtfinallydecidedtosentencehimtodeath.

Allofhisprivatepropertieserealsoorderedtobeconfiscated,thecourtsaid.

SunscasedrenationalattentioninAprilhenalocalmediaoutletreportedseveralgangs,includingoneledbySun,eredismantledduringacrackdonagainstanizedcrimeinKunming.

Hiscasetriggeredidespreadconcernovercorruptioninthelocaljudicialandprisonsystemsafterfollo-upstoriesrevealedSunhadescapedadeathsentenceafterbeingconvictedin1998ofmultiplechargesandhadbeenlivingasafreeman.

Nieendefendants,mainlycivilservants,eresentencedtojailtermsofvariouslengthsfortiestoSunscaseonDec15.