CHINA: SUSPENDED DEATH PENALTY FOR SERIAL RAPE IN BEIJING

an unemployed man from northwest China was given a death penalty with a reprieve of two years after being found guilty of crimes including several rapes. The ruling was handed down to Tuo Jianguo, 32, a native of Shaanxi Province, by the Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court in a first-instant trial. The court was told that starting in August 2003, Tuo committed 11 rapes and four attempted rapes, in addition to three robberies and seven more burglaries in western Beijing, including Haidian and Fengtai districts. Public security departments found Tuo via DNA tests. He was seized by security officers near Changxindian in Fengtai district on the evening of Aug. 16, 2007. The police also seized other tools used for committing the crimes from his car, including a pair of white gloves, black scissors and a handheld lighter. The court said evidence proved Tuo raped women using violence and intimidation and was guilty of rape.