Chinese man sentenced to death for killing 35 people by driving into a crowd

Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered local governments to take steps to prevent future ‘extreme cases’.

Tributes outside the Zhuhai People’s Fitness Plaza after the crash (Ng Han Guan/AP)

A Chinese court has sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people last month by driving into crowd, in an attack that raised national concern about mass killings.

The court in the southern city of Zhuhai handed down the sentence on Friday to Fan Weiqiu, saying the nature of the crime was extremely vile, the means were particularly cruel and the consequences were particularly severe.

The court found that Fan was venting anger because he was unhappy with his divorce settlement.

In the days after the attack, Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered local governments to take steps to prevent future “extreme cases”.

A man lights a candle near flowers placed outside the Zhuhai People’s Fitness Plaza, where a man deliberately rammed his car into people exercising at the sports centre (Ng Han Guan/AP)

The victims were exercising at a sports centre. Fan pleaded guilty to endangering public safety by dangerous means, a court statement said.

Fan’s “criminal motive was extremely despicable, the nature of the crime was extremely vile, the means of the crime were particularly cruel, and the consequences of the crime were particularly severe, resulting in great social harm”, the court said.

Mr Xi’s order prompted vows from local leaders to examine personal disputes that could trigger aggression, from marital troubles to disagreements over inheritance.

Fan’s sentence was the second one handed down in quick succession just weeks after the recent attacks, much faster than court cases normally take in China.

A court earlier this week gave a suspended death sentence with a two-year reprieve to a driver who injured 30 people when he drove into elementary school students and parents in Hunan province. Such sentences are usually commuted to life in prison.

The court in the city of Changde said the driver was taking out his frustrations after losing money he had invested.

Chinese authorities keep a tight lid on any reports about the attacks, censoring videos and eyewitness accounts posted on social media and releasing only basic information, often many hours afterward.

The death toll in Zhuhai was not announced until 24 hours after the attack.

In addition to the 35 people killed, another 43 were injured, police said.

Fan, 62, was found in his vehicle trying to stab himself with a knife, a police statement said.