Society
Police officers fired for using lunatic as scapegoat
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-17 20:47
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ZHENGZHOU - Seven police officers were penalized Monday for falsely declaring a lunatic responsible for a murder in central China's Henan Province, provincial authorities said.
Weishi County police head Zheng Wei and deputy head Song Weiming were removed from their post and have received administrative penalties, a spokesman for the provincial public security department said.
Five other policemen were penalized or fired, the spokesman added.
The body of vagrant Wang Baoguo was found in a river in Weishi County on April 16, 2009. The county police declared mentally-ill Liu Weizhong the killer and released him on the grounds Liu was incapable of taking responsibility for his actions.
Weishi County police fabricated evidence and wrongfully declared Liu the murderer to close the case, concluded a joint review by the provincial police and the public security bureau in Kaifeng City, which administers Weishi.
The case was first exposed online at the Renjianzhengdao forum on April 2. It drew the attention of Internet users and the Chinese media, leading to an investigation.
