The unemployed Beijing man who killed six police officers and wounded four people at a Shanghai police station has been sentenced to death, exactly two months after the crime. The Shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court found Yang Jia, 28, guilty of premeditated murder, Xinhua and Shanghai media website Eastday said yesterday. He had confessed to the July 1 attack, which shocked the country. The sentencing followed a half-day trial last Tuesday. Yang had been widely expected to get the death penalty, but legal experts have questioned the fairness of the trial. Yang has the right to appeal against the sentence. The Supreme People's Court, the mainland's highest, reviews all death verdicts. Yang's chief lawyer, Xie Youming, could not be reached for comment. Yang's father, Yang Fusheng, who did not attend the hearing, said he hoped his son would appeal and could provide legal assistance if he did. 'This [verdict] was predictable,' he said, but added: 'I can't stand a blow like this.' Prosecutors said Yang had carried out the attack on the Zhabei district police station out of revenge after he was detained by police last October for riding an unlicensed bicycle. He was released and later requested compensation. In July, he returned to the compound housing the police station. He started a fire at the gate with a homemade bomb and stabbed a security guard before forcing his way into the building. He stabbed nine police officers on different floors during the rampage. Despite the grisly nature of the crime, Yang gained sympathy in some circles by tapping into resentment towards police brutality and corruption. Rumours surfaced that he was beaten while in custody last year. Shanghai police denied the allegation and arrested a man for spreading false information on the internet. Legal experts have raised questions about the location of the trial, the lack of an insanity defence, and his legal counsel - who they claimed had a conflict of interest. Mr Xie has served as a consultant for Zhabei district, where the attack occurred. Liu Xiaoyuan , a Beijing-based criminal lawyer from Yi Tong law firm, criticised the secrecy of the handling of the case. 'The verdict is predictable, and judiciary authorities [followed] criminal law on the death sentence,' Mr Liu wrote on his blog. 'But the reason the case has captured huge public attention is that the police didn't handle the case transparently and publicly.' The court defended the judicial proceedings, saying Shanghai had jurisdiction because the murders had occurred in the city and an examination of Yang's mental state by a 'specialised institution' had shown he was responsible for his actions. The court said Yang also rejected legal counsel offered by his father. Some members of the public were allowed yesterday to watch an hour-long court session. Yang was taken from the courthouse shortly after the trial in a motorcade with four police cars and a van. 'At the trial, Yang Jia looked pale and thinner than the last time we saw him on television,' one witness said. 'He had no facial expression at all.'