HEFEI -- Shi Jidong, a farmer from Dingyuan, a county in east China's Anhui Province, has been sentenced to death after being convicted of raping three girls and attempting to rape six more.

Shi was also deprived of his political rights for life in accordance with a ruling handed down by the Intermediate People's Court of Chuzhou.

The court was told that between February 22 and April 3 this year, Shi, 28, a rural resident in Tianhe township, stalked and raped three girls from the same local middle school.

He also attempted to rape six more but failed to do so, the court heard.

A spokesman for the Intermediate People's Court of Chuzhou confirmed that a 13-year-old girl was among the three girls raped by Shi but declined to give details about the other two victims.

Chinese criminal law states that a convicted rapist should be sentenced to three to ten years in prison, but a more severe penalty, including the death sentence, could be handed down if the defendant is found guilty of raping a girl below the age of 14.

The spokesman defended the court's ruling by saying that Shi was given the maximum penalty due to the huge impact his crimes have had on the local community.

It is not yet known whether or not Shi plans to appeal.