A 51-year-old Beijing resident was sentenced to six months jail Friday for helping others destroy and falsify criminal evidence.
This was the first case of such a crime in Beijing since China introduced its new Criminal Law in 1997.
The accused, Shen Minqiang, lent his car to an acquaintance oneSeptember day in 1999. The borrower knocked down a tricycle driverwhen he drove to the Haidian District of Beijing on September 12 and ran away without sending the injured man to hospital. The man died as a result of the treatment delay.
Acting on reports, police confirmed Shen's car caused the traffic accident and called in Shen for questioning. Instead of telling the truth, Shen hindered the investigation. He also asked a subordinate to send the car to a repair shop in an attempt to destroy criminal evidence.
The Haidian District People's Court sentenced Shen to six months in jail.
(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2002)
