Qingdao gang boss sentenced to death
A gang boss was sentenced to death on Tuesday in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, for 10 charges including intentional injury, gun trade and organized crimes.
Another 30 gang members received penalties ranging from two years in prison to death with reprieve, according to the Intermediate People's Court of Qingdao. Only one was exempted from criminal punishment for minor offences.
They are key members among the 144 suspects involved in this massive gang-related case. Others will receive sentences by the end of this month, according to a court statement.
The verdict for Nie Lei, the gang leader, is more than 130 pages long, and it took about six hours for judges to read the verdicts for all 32 suspects on Tuesday.
They have been accused of illegally possessing 13 guns, and committing more than 40 crimes resulting in two deaths, one serious injury and 21 slight injuries, according to the court.
"This has been the biggest case in the city given the large number of defendants," Zou Chuanning, president of the court, said at a news conference on Monday, a day ahead of the verdict.
"It's also highly complicated and judges have been busily working on it for about three months," he said.
