Beijing: Three life convicts, who had
escaped from prison killing a guard in the process, only to be
recaptured later, were sentenced to death on Tuesday in China`s
inner Mongolia region.
The three men - Qiao Haiqiang, Dong Jiaji and Li
Hongbin - were sentenced to death and stripped of their
political rights for life in the sentence handed down by the
Hohhot Intermediate People`s Court, Xinhua reported.
The three stood trial on charges of using violence to
escape prison, robbery and kidnapping in Hohhot, the capital
city of northern China`s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
On October 17 last year, four inmates in their 20`s
serving life sentences killed a guard, stole his uniform and
wallet, and escaped the city`s No 2 Prison in a hijacked taxi.
They later commandeered a rural wagon and took a
hostage when the taxi ran out of gas.
The escape prompted a three-day manhunt involving
thousands of police officers.
Police shot and killed one of the four convicts and
recaptured the other three.
Only one of the three, Li Hongbin, lodged an appeal.
Police arrested the head of the prison and six other
officials and guards for negligence shortly after the escape.
PTI
