CHINA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING 6 AFTER DRIVING INTO CROWD

A court in northeast China's Liaoning Province on 9 July 2019 sentenced a man to death for killing six children and injuring 20 people after driving into a group of children crossing a road.
The defendant, Han Jihua, drove a sedan into a group of over 60 children and their two teachers before fleeing the scene on 22 November last year, according to the Intermediate People's Court of the city of Huludao. He was arrested by the police less than an hour later.
The court said Han's crime was premeditated and motivated by grievances and hostilities towards society stemming from financial difficulties and complexities in interpersonal and conjugal relations.
The court said it handed down the death penalty based on the nature of the crime and its social impact.
Han's motivations for the crime were dismal and despicable, and the crime, which was committed in an atrocious way, severely endangered public safety, according to the court.