Chinese waitress walks free after killing misbehaving official

In a case that sparked widespread outrage, Deng Yujiao, 21, was put on trial for stabbing to death a local official in central China in May, in what she said was self-defence after he tried to force himself on her sexually.

Deng, a waitress at a hotel in the city of Badong, was initially detained on suspicion of murder after the incident, in which she said the man hit her repeatedly after she refused his advances. She also stood accused of injuring a second official who had made unwanted sexual advances.

Deng was eventually charged with the lesser offence of intentional assault — still punishable by death, according to the China Daily — as officials caved in to the massive public pressure generated on the Internet.

Internet users fed up with government corruption, abuse of power and official impunity quickly rallied to Deng’s cause, and her case became a symbol of injustice in a society tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party.

On Tuesday, after a brief trial in Badong in Hubei province, Deng walked free despite being found guilty as charged, on the grounds of diminished responsibility, said a judge at the court.

The judge said the court had decided not to punish her as she had used excessive force in an act of self-defence, she had surrendered to the police, and the officials involved in the incident had made a “major mistake”.

The Badong government website posted an account of the assault by the official Xinhua news agency, saying the two officials got angry when Deng refused to accompany one of them into the hotel sauna.

She tried to leave the room twice but was held back and thrown onto a sofa each time, and subsequently pulled a fruit knife out of her bag and stabbed one of them four times when he closed in on her. He later died from his injuries.

The other official was slightly hurt when he tried to stop her, and has since been detained by police, the report said.

Mighty Net

The case highlights the growing might of the Internet in China, a nation where traditional media is tightly controlled and the legal system has little or no independence from the government. China has the world’s largest online population at nearly 300 million web users.

Reflecting the huge public interest in the case, at least 500 supporters of Deng had gathered at the courthouse, said Luo Jiajiu, one of the organisers of the rally.