The Shanxi Provincial Supreme Court has sentenced nine criminals, including a former local police officer, for killing a Beijing policeman to avenge an earlier altercation.

The Beijing News reports former policeman Liu Limin from Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, received the death penalty with a two-year reprieve. His accomplice, Zhou Chuanquan was sentenced to death and executed on the same day.

The court found Liu Limin rang the other men on the evening of May 3, 2005, urging them to find and harass Beijing policeman Li Zhongyi. Earlier on the same day, the two policemen had a fight at a traffic crossing in Taiyuan, after Li refused Liu's request to move his car and clear the way. Li was traveling through the city with his family at the time.

The men located Li and his family at a hotel at 2 Taoyuan South Road. The police investigation found Li died after Zhou Chuanquan hit him over the head with a plank.

Taiyuan's First Intermediate Court convicted the nine men on April 26, 2006, but all lodged appeals  were rejected by the provincial court.

In the first judgment, Liu received the death penalty with a 2-year reprieve. He was also deprived of his political rights for life. Zhou was sentenced to death and the rest received prison sentences ranging from 9 to 15 years.

The nine men are also required to pay more than 590,000 yuan, or about 75,000 US dollars, to Li's family in compensation.

Criminals stand the trial warded by policemen for killing a Beijing policeman to avenge an earlier altercation.

Criminals are brought to the trial.

(CRI December 31, 2006)