Man beaten over Beckham haircut

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-25 10:27

Three men who assaulted a man because his hairstyle resembled David Beckham's mohican-style haircut face up to five years in jail, Tongzhou district prosecutors said yesterday.

One member of the group, surnamed Zhang, spotted his neighbor sporting what he described as a David Beckham haircut when he returned to his home in Tongzhou district at around 4 pm on Aug 12 after drinking.

Zhang became furious and attempted to provoke the victim, surnamed Huang, according to a press release from Tongzhou prosecutors.

The following day Huang was asked by Zhang for his name and where he was from.

Huang answered: "My surname is Huang and I'm from Daxing."

The victim was then told he was arrogant and asked if he wanted to fight, according to a police record given to METRO yesterday.

Huang said Zhang told him to call his friends so they could have a gang fight, but he refused.

Zhang called five friends and they beat Huang with a stick and an empty beer bottle.

After the gang left, Huang tried to flag down an unlicensed taxi to go to hospital but ran into Zhang and his friends again. They were furious to learn he was seeking treatment and forced Huang into the taxi with them.

Huang was taken to a nearby river and beaten a second time. They submerged his head in the river to ruin his hairstyle, the prosecutors said.

Zhang and his friends, surnamed He and Qi, were arrested the following day. They were charged with provoking and disturbing citizens. If convicted, they may face up to five years in jail, the court said.