Concern at speed of Hainan trial that convicted pair of raping 6 girls
One-day hearing for two men accused of violating six schoolgirls was too hasty, observers say; many find the lengthy jail terms too lenient
A Hainan court sentenced two men yesterday to 13-1/2 and 11-1/2 years in jail for raping six primary schoolgirls last month, bringing a swift close to the high-profile trial, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The verdict was handed down on the case's first day in the No 1 Intermediate People's Court in Haikou , sparking criticism by the public and legal sector that the verdict seemed rushed for such a high-profile and severe criminal case. Many people, including parents of the victims, said the sentences were too light.
Former school principal Chen Zaipeng and a government official, Feng Xiaosong , were convicted of raping the six girls, aged 11 to 14. Chen, who was principal of Wanning No 2 Primary School, a different school from where the girls were enrolled, received 13-1/2 years. Feng, a former clerk with the city's property administration bureau, received 11-1/2 years.
Feng sought to appeal against the verdict, while Chen said he was considering whether to appeal, Xinhua reported.
One of the three parents allowed into the courtroom said they would seek an appeal against what they considered light sentences "within 10 days".
"They should at least be sentenced to no less than 15 years," he said, declining to be named. "We send our girls to schools for education, not to get raped."
The two men were arrested on May 15 on charges of child molestation, a week after the six girls at Wanning Houlang Primary School went missing after failing to show up for school. A search launched by parents and teachers found two of the girls in Wanning and four in Haikou , and all were in a groggy state. Surveillance video confirmed they had been in different hotel rooms with the headmaster and the official.