Drink-drive killer sentenced to death

A drink driver who crashed into and killed four people has been sentenced to death in China. Sun Weiming was found guilty of endangering public safety after speeding in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, last December. The 30-year-old reportedly struck four other cars, killing four people and seriously injuring another. He was also driving without a licence.

It is the first time in China that a person has been given the death penalty for endangering public safety by drink driving. China imposes capital punishment more than any other country.

Amnesty International reported earlier this year that China put at least 1,718 people to death in 2008. The penalty is used even for non-violent crimes, like corruption or tax evasion.


Photo from here.

Sun told the court he would appeal and begged the judge for a chance to start a new life. "At the time of the accident, I was completely dazed from drinking and completely unaware and I did not intentionally cross the double line (into oncoming traffic)," he was quoted as saying.

The judge as said Sun's decision to drive without a licence showed his contempt for traffic regulations. The fact that he was fleeing a crash when the fatal collision occurred also showed he was acting intentionally, the judge said.

Sun had drunk "large quantities" of a strong Chinese spirit at a relative's lunchtime birthday party on the day of the accident, Tianfu said. He had a blood alcohol level of 0.13, or 135.8 milligrams of alcohol per 100mls of blood. China's legal limit is 0.08.