Chinese court sentences Zhuhai car attack driver to death for killing 35 people
A court said Fan Weiqiu deliberately drove into a group of people exercising last month because he was angered by his divorce settlement
The Zhuhai Intermediate People’s Court found that 62-year-old Fan Weiqiu deliberately drove his SUV into a group of people exercising outside a sports centre in Zhuhai just before 8pm on November 11, killing 35 people and injuring 43.
It said his actions were the result of a “broken marriage and dissatisfaction with life” and that he had been “unhappy with the outcome of the division of property” after he got divorced.
Apart from the death sentence, Fan was also deprived of his political rights for life for “endangering public safety by dangerous means”, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The court said: “Fan’s criminal motives were extremely despicable, the nature of the crime was particularly heinous, the methods used were especially brutal, the consequences of the crime were particularly severe and the social harm was significant; therefore he should be punished severely according to the law.”
Friday’s verdict was announced on the same day that Fan’s trial took place. CCTV reported that some of the victims’ relatives were present at the trial and sentencing.
