The Zhabei District People's Court will this week announce its verdict on the city's first case in which an unemployed man "helped" a disabled friend commit suicide.

Wu Tao, 41, is charged with manslaughter and, if found guilty, could be jailed for three to 10 years for a venial crime, Liu Ning, a court official, said yesterday.

According to the court, Wu carried Zhang Xin -- a vagrant with a left-leg deformity -- onto the flood prevention wall on Hengfeng Road on the night of April 19. Later, Zhang fell into the Suzhou Creek and drowned.

Wu claimed Zhang wanted to be taken to the flood wall since "he could not bear his poor life and wanted to leave this world right now."

"I didn't push Zhang off the wall. He fell into the river by himself," Wu added.

According to the lawsuit, Wu met Zhang in February when he arrived in the city from Shandong Province. Both jobless men lived under a bridge across Suzhou Creek on Hengfeng Road. They survived by collecting garbage and selling it to waste recycling stations.

Wu said they soon became close friends, with Zhang usually doing the housework and Wu going out to gather garbage. They shared the earnings from the trash sales.

On the evening of April 19, Wu bought some alcohol and they drank it together. However, during the binge, a drunk Wu had a dispute with Zhang and beat him up, the lawsuit said.

According to Wu, when he hit Zhang, the latter cried that he, a disabled person, no longer wanted to live such a shabby and useless life.

"On impulse, I carried him on my shoulder and lifted him onto the flood prevention wall along the creek. But I just made him lie on the bank," said Wu, stressing, "He rolled into the creek himself. I didn't push him."

However, a witness claimed she saw Wu push Zhang into the river.

"I saw one man sitting on the wall with another lying beside him at around 9 pm. They both appeared to be drunk," said Shan Huaizhen, who sells snacks at a roadside stall near the wall.

She added, "One of the men suddenly pushed the other into the river. I immediately called police."

Prosecutors said that it could be a case of manslaughter since Wu violated the law by putting Zhang on the wall despite being aware of the latter's pessimistic mood.

(eastday.com September 9, 2003)