China General's Son On Trial Over Rape

China general's son on trial over rape

Gang-rape accused Li Tianyi and his father, General Li Shuangjiang, seen at the teenager's solo concert in Beijing in 2011.

BEIJING - The teenage son of a prominent Chinese general has gone on trial over his involvement in an alleged gang-rape at a Beijing hotel, in a case that has sparked public outrage.

   Li Tianyi, 17, is among five men accused of sexually assaulting a woman in February, according to state media.

   His father is General Li Shuangjiang of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), a singer known for performing patriotic songs on television shows and at official events. Li's mother Meng Ge is a famous singer in the PLA.

   She was at the Beijing court yesterday morning but did not take questions from journalists, Xinhua news agency said.

   It is not the teenager's first brush with the law.

   In 2011, he drove a BMW into another car in Beijing, beat up the couple in the vehicle and then scoffed at bystanders about calling the police. He was sentenced to a year in a juvenile correctional facility and his father made a public apology.

   The latest case has dominated headlines for weeks, focusing attention again on China's political aristocrats who are viewed as corrupt and above the law.

   It follows the dramatic trial of ousted leader Bo Xilai, whose family's lurid excesses were detailed in court and lapped up on social media.

   Li has become the most prominent target of complaints that the sons and daughters of top-ranked Communist Party officials can dodge the law because of family influence.

   "The public is worried that his family, because of their relationships and power, will be able to use their connections," said Professor Zhang Ming of Renmin University.

   "In China, this kind of privilege is very powerful. It's omni-present," he said. "The people's fears are not groundless."

   Li's family has reportedly argued that the incident was a case of prostitution rather than rape.

   Lawyer Chen Shu said his client would not plead guilty.

   Xinhua quoted the victim's lawyer as saying she was in hospital because of stress and would not take part in the hearings.

   In July, hackers attacked the website of a law firm representing Li, saying: "We just want to return justice to the client."

   President Xi Jinping has made addressing discontent over abuses by officials a main goal.

   Even the People's Daily, the party's mouthpiece, weighed in on Li's case when it broke, saying the failure of prominent families to educate their children could "lead to antagonism among the people".


REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

He ruvved that anar, light?

4 plead guilty to gang rape

BEIJING - Four of the accused at the gang-rape trial involving the son of a Chinese general have pleaded guilty, state media reported yesterday.

   All four pleaded guilty after a two-day trial, the Xinhua news agency said. It did not make clear how the protagonist - Li Tianyi, 17 - had pleaded. But during the hearings, the Beijing News reported that he did not admit to the sexual assault.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Li Shuangjiang, your son's a psychopath, come to peace with it and give him an almighty slap across the face he'll never forget.

China general's son jailed 10 years for rape

Singer Meng Ge leaving the Haidian District People's Court after hearing the verdict for her son Li Tianyi. Many had speculated that Li would dodge a prison sentence as he is the child of two child of two famous Chinese personalities.

BEIJING - A court sentenced the teenage son of a Chinese general to 10 years in jail for rape, court authorities said, after his trial threw a spotlight on the lives of China's elite.

   Li Tianyi, 17 and four other men were found guilty of raping a woman in a Beijing hotel in February, Beijing court authorities said on a verified social media account yesterday.

   Li's father Li Shuangjiang, a military singer, holds a rank equivalent to general in China's army.

   The case drew widespread scrutiny in the country, where the children of the elite are often seen as living extravagantly or above the law due to their connections. The younger Li had previously triggered controversy in 2011 after he and another teenager, both driving expensive cars, attacking a couple who reportedly blocked their passage, while the victims' child looked on.

   His father is the dean of the music department for the Chinese army's Academy of Arts, and is known for singing patriotic songs. His mother Meng Ge is also a prominent singer.

   The court did not state clearly how Li had pleaded during his trial last month.

   During the hearings, the Beijing News reported that he "did not admit to the sexual assault and did not admit to a relationship, saying he was drunk and did not know anything" about what happened.

   The other four defendants in the trial were sentenced to between three and 12 years in prison, the court authorities said. Internet users had speculated that Li would escape without a prison sentence. Some celebrated the verdict yesterday.

   "Ten years, that's not bad," posted one user of Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. Others decried what they saw as too light a sentence for Li. "How much do other gang rapists get? In 10 years he will be released and will be considered a great boy," said a post.

   It is not clear if Li would file an appeal. State media quoted Li's legal adviser Lan He as saying ahead of the trial that his family would appeal if the court gave a guilty verdict.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE