Former school bully in China sentenced to three months’ detention in defamation case
Widely viewed social media posts help victim win case against classmate who led almost a decade of abuse
A man sentenced to three months behind bars in eastern China for spreading insulting rumours online about a former high school classmate is appealing against the verdict, according to a Chinese newspaper report.
Jiang Qi, 25, appeared before the Wenling People’s Court in Zhejiang province on Thursday in a defamation case brought by former classmate Wang Jingjing, also 25, the Yangtse Evening Post reported on Saturday.
Wang had suffered from verbal and physical bullying by her classmates since 2009, the report said.
Students at Zhejiang Wenling High School made up and circulated rumours online that Wang was a prostitute and that she had falsely claimed to be extremely wealthy, according to the report.
The bullying continued after she graduated and went to college, where her tormentors tracked her down and posted insulting comments on online forums and social media sites.
Wang sued Jiang, a ringleader of the bullying, who was sentenced to three months in police detention.