PLA singer's son continues to deny rape as co-defendants plead guilty
Son of famous PLA singer continues to attack accuser's credibility as his co-defendants plead guilty and apologise for Beijing sex assault
The four co-defendants of the teenage son of famous military singers have pleaded guilty to gang rape, leaving Li Guanfeng the sole suspect fighting the charges on the second day of the closely-watched trial.
Defence lawyers for Li - the son of People's Liberation Army singers Li Shuangjiang and Meng Ge - continued to attack the credibility of the victim of the February rape, accusing her of lying to police to blackmail Li and the others.
Li Guanfeng, 17, who was formerly known as Li Tianyi , has denied charges in the case, which has aroused public resentment about misdeeds by children of the country's elite.
The Haidian District People's Court said in a press release posted on its microblog yesterday that four of the five defendants accused of raping a woman they met at a Beijing night club had pleaded guilty. Three entered their pleas on Wednesday, while the fourth switched to a guilty plea yesterday.
Three of the defendants apologised for the attack, in which the victim also suffered facial injuries, and four asked for lighter sentences. The victim did not attend the trial.
Li and the other defendants will now await the judgment of the court. Four of the defendants, including Li, are minors, who the court said would be more likely to receive more lenient sentences.