Police chief's son jailed after outcry over drink-driving death

Jan 30, 2011, 4:26 GMT

Beijing - A Chinese court sentenced the son of a local police chief to six years in prison on Sunday for causing the death of a woman while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Li Qiming, 23, gained notoriety after reports that he drove away after his car hit two roller-skating students on October 16 at Hebei University in the northern city of Baoding, and he only stopped when security guards and students confronted him.

He then told the crowd surrounding his car: 'Sue me if you dare, my father is Li Gang.'

Chen Xiaofeng, 20, died of her injuries following the collision while the second student, Zhang Jingjing, suffered a broken leg.

The 'My father is Li Gang' case attracted thousands of comments on popular internet sites, with most people taking it to reflect a widespread abuse of power by officials and their families.

Li Qiming pleaded guilty to charges of drink-driving and causing Chen's death at a trial on Wednesday.

His family had agreed to pay 460,000 yuan (70,000 dollars) in compensation to Chen's family and 92,000 yuan to Zhang.

In an interview with state broadcaster China Central Television last year, Li's father, Li Gang, apologised for his son's behaviour and said he would not ask the court to treat him favourably.

A reference to the case was included in a satirical animated video that was removed from Chinese websites last week but remains in wide circulation and is posted on YouTube.

The climax of the video shows downtrodden rabbits staging a violent revolt against tigers, who represent Chinese authorities.

The new Chinese lunar year, which begins on Thursday, is the Year of the Rabbit, while the current one is a tiger year.

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