12-YEAR-OLD GIRL SENTENCED TO 3 YEARS FOR MURDERING CLASSMATES

 

A 12-year-old girl from China has been sentenced to a three year rehabilitation programme after she murdered and dismembered her classmate.

The girl, who has been identified only by her surname Qin, is believed to have murdered her 13-year-old friend, identified only as Zhou, and then cut off her head and arms.
According to the court, the motive was resentment: Qin was jealous of Zhou's looks.
The murder took place in April 2012 in Guangxi Province, southwest China.
The two girls were sixth grade classmates at Nandan County Lihu Yao Elementary School. They are said to have been good friends whose families were neighbours.
According to court documents, quoted by China's Xinhua news agency, Qin had become envious of Zhou because other children were choosing to play with her instead. Qin, it is claimed, was told she was fat and not as pretty as Zhou.
The court's judgement described the shockingly graphic details of the murder.
On the evening of April 10, 2012, Qin invited Zhou to her house to play. As the two watched television together, the court heard how Qin smashed a stool over Zhou's head, knocking her unconscious.
Qin then attacked Zhou with a variety of weapons including a kitchen knife, a beer bottle, a paper knife and a pair of scissors.
The court then heard how Qin cut off Zhou's head and arms, put them into plastic bags and cleaned the blood from the scene.
Because Qin is under the age of 14, Chinese law determines that she cannot be held criminally responsible for the murder.
Instead of being sent to jail, the court ordered that she should undergo a rehabilitation programme. Her parents have also been ordered to pay the parents of the victim a total of RMB108,000 (£11,400) in compensation.
The principal of the children's school, Mr Wu, was interviewed by a local radio station and asked about the two girls' characters and looks.
"Both children had high grades," he said. "Qin was not a confident girl. She was not an ugly girl, but she is a bit chubby. Zhou was tall and slim."
On China's ever-growing social media networks, so-called 'netizens' questioned the sentence as well as Qin's upbringing.
"You kill a person and you only have to compensate RMB100,000? This court sure is kind and merciful," one person wrote.
"With such a strong sense of envy, she will be no good when she grows up either," another wrote.
"This isn't just a tragedy for a 13-year-old girl. This is a tragedy of society," said another.
"How have this girl's parents been raising her?" another asked.
SKY NEWS