BEIJING: A Chinese language courtroom sentenced a teenage boy to life in jail on Monday for murdering his classmate, capping a case that sparked a nationwide debate over the therapy of juvenile offenders.Three suspects, all aged below 14 on the time of the homicide, have been accused in April of bullying a 13-year-old classmate surnamed Wang over a protracted interval earlier than killing him in an deserted greenhouse.The grim particulars of the case, wherein the killers reportedly attacked Wang with a shovel earlier than burying his physique, drew public consideration to how the legislation offers with juveniles accused of significant crimes.One boy surnamed Zhang, was discovered responsible of intentional murder, a courtroom in north China’s Hebei mentioned Monday.One other boy surnamed Li was given 12 years in jail. The third boy surnamed Ma, whom the courtroom discovered didn’t hurt the sufferer, was sentenced to correctional training.In 2021, China lowered its age of legal accountability from 14 to 12 for “particular circumstances” reminiscent of inflicting loss of life by “extraordinarily merciless means”.The Hebei case was considered one of many first to use the decrease age restrict.The prosecution mentioned in its verdict that as a result of the defendants have been “over the age of 12 however below the age of 14 on the time of the crime…they need to bear legal accountability” in accordance with Chinese language legislation.It added which means of the killing have been “notably merciless, and the circumstances have been notably vile”.Beneath Chinese language legislation, homicide is punishable by imprisonment or the loss of life penalty.
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