The court in southern China’s Zhuhai that sentenced 62-year-old Fan Weiqiu said his criminal motive was extremely despicable.
A court in China has sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people when he drove into a crowd last month. The attack sparked nationwide concern about mass killings.
Fan Weiqiu vented his anger because he was dissatisfied with his divorce agreement, the court in the southern city of Zhuhai said in delivering the verdict on Friday.
The victims were training in a sports center. 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 heinous, 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.
The Attack on November 11th was one of the deadliest attacks in contemporary Chinese history.
It was one of a series of violent attacks that have recently raised questions about public safety in China, where citizens have long prided themselves on violence-free streets.
The attacks prompted Chinese leader Xi Jinping to order local governments to take measures to prevent future “extreme cases.”
His order prompted local leaders to pledge to investigate personal disputes that could spark aggression, from marital problems to disagreements over inheritance.
Some analysts have linked the incidents to growing anger and despair over the country’s slowing economy and a sense that society is becoming increasingly differentiated.
A court earlier this week handed down a suspended death sentence with a two-year deferment to a driver who injured 30 people when he plowed into elementary school students and their parents in Hunan province. Such sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment.
The court in Changde city said the driver had vented his frustration over the loss of invested money.
Chinese authorities are keeping all reports of the attacks tightly under wraps, censoring videos and testimonies posted on social media and releasing only basic information, often only many hours later.
The death toll in Zhuhai was not announced until 24 hours after the attack. In addition to the 35 people killed, 43 were injured, police said.
The 62-year-old driver, Fan, was found in his vehicle trying to stab himself with a knife, a police statement said.
The day after the attack, police erected barricades and prevented people from entering the sports complex. Instead, citizens left bouquets of flowers in an adjacent square.
