| Public outrage continues to grow as a young man, accused of using his father's high job status to get away with a fatal hit-and-run accident, admitted to causing the victim's death Wednesday at a court in Hebei Province.
Li Qiming, 23, faced a charge of "causing traffic casualties" for allegedly striking and killing a female college student and injuring another on the campus of Hebei University last October.
Chen Xiaofeng and Zhang Jingjing were walking on the school campus in Baoding on October 16 when Li drove into them. Chen later died from the wounds she suffered in the crash while Zhang suffered minor injuries.
Li confessed to his crime and admitted that he had been drunk on the night of the accident but said he was not aware that his car hit someone, according to Hu Yihua, the lawyer representing Chen's family.
Li is also accused of fleeing the scene and driving off to his girlfriend's dormitory, after shouting "Sue me if you dare. My father is Li Gang!" at school security, a statement he does not recall making.
Li Gang is the deputy director of a district for the Baoding Public Security Bureau. He did not attend the court hearing Wednesday, according to Xinhua News Agency.
"It's so arrogant of Li to boast of his father's power. We are of course outraged by this," Wang Keqin, a reporter with the China Economic Times, quoted a local person as saying on his microblog Wednesday.
Prosecutors are seeking a three- to seven-year sentence for Li, indicating that Li had fled the scene.
However, Li's defendant argued that he qualifies for a lighter sentence of up to three years with a reprieve, considering his cooperative attitude and his father's efforts to "borrow" money to compensate the victims' family.
Chen's family earlier reached an agreement with Li after receiving 460,000 yuan (US$70,000) of compensation. They also signed a letter of forgiveness giving up their rights to press criminal charges.
Chen Lin, the brother of the victim, said, "I will never have my sister back after all. I don't accept his useless apology."
Sources told the Global Times that halfway through the trial, over 500 local people had gathered outside the heavily guarded courtroom. |
