Chinese prosecutors forced by public opinion to accept self-defence plea from couple who killed stalker
- Campaign by daughter to save parents from trial for death of man who tormented her family promoted what one lawyer called ‘judicial fairness’
Public pressure has forced prosecutors in northern China to drop charges against a couple arrested for killing a man who stalked their daughter and broke into their home.
The decision by the procuratorate of Baoding, Hebei province, on Sunday followed hundreds of thousands of appeals for leniency from the public over the past two months.
Wang Xinyuan and his wife Zhao Yinzhi were arrested after they killed Wang Lei during the housebreaking. In July, he entered their home in Laiyuan county and started a fight with 22-year-old Wang Xiaofei.
Prosecutors said the couple’s response was a rightful act of self-defence.
“In this case, they could adopt unlimited self-defence to respond to Wang Lei’s violent attacks, without criminal responsibilities,” the prosecutors said.