Court hears of peddler's death

By Chen Qian  |   2008-10-15  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THREE urban management officials in southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality are on trial charged with beating a peddler to death in July.

The Chongqing No. 5 Intermediate People's Court heard the case on Monday but has not announced a verdict, the Chongqing Economic Times reported.

Three defendants surnamed Zhou, Dai and Xiao confessed the crime to the court and apologized to the man's family. Their attorneys told the court the three defendants had already paid compensation to the victim's family and asked for a lenient sentence.

The court was told the three defendants and another official found the victim, surnamed Liu, 37, selling snacks near Datianwan Stadium on July 30. Peddlers are not allowed in that area.

Three defendants and their colleague wanted to seize Liu's handcart but Liu would not let go of it. In the ensuing struggled, Zhou, Dai and Xiao threw the man to the ground and held him by the throat. Liu later died in hospital.

The court was told only two of the officials were wearing uniforms and the defendant Dai could not state which regulation Liu was meant to have broken.

Dai told the court he became an urban management official after being introduced by friends and was not trained before beginning work.

According to the defendants, Liu had threatened them with a knife, which led to the fight. They said it was a matter of self defense and that they had not had time to call the police.

But the prosecutors did not accept this, saying there was no evidence that Liu had been armed with a knife.