Beijing, June 11: A 33-year-old mentally unstable man who stabbed 16 primary schoolchildren and a teacher in China's Guangdong province, and another man who killed eight people in Jiangxi province were sentenced to death on Friday.
Chen Kangbing, a teacher of Hongfu Primary School, barged into Leicheng First Primary School in Leizhou city April 28 and started attacking the students with a 40-cm-long knife. The victims, who suffered injuries in their heads, backs and arms, were students of the fourth and fifth grades.
Although none of the children died, Chen was charged with and convicted of murder in a first-instance trial at the Intermediary People's Court of Zhanjiang city on Friday.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yezhong, 36, was charged with and convicted of willful murder by the Intermediary People's Court of Ji'an City in Jiangxi province, Long Xiaomao, a court spokesman was quoted as saying by web media.
Zhou killed his mother, wife, 10-year-old daughter, four neighbours and one migrant worker with a knife in Badu township of Jishui county May 8.
Zhou, who had gambling problems, committed the murders after a fight with his wife, Long said.
Giving out the verdict in Chen's case, the court said he "hacked at the children and teacher in a very cruel manner, causing great harm".
Initial investigations showed that the attacker was suffering from mental disorders and had been on sick leave since February 2006, a spokesman said.
---Agencies
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