China Scene: South

Jailterm for inventor of rubber thief device

Gao Jinhai was sentenced to five years' imprisonment recently at Hainan High People's Court in Haikou, Hainan province, for setting up the shotgun in his rubber tree forest that accidentally shot dead a rubber thief.

Gao had set up the shotgun as an anti-rubber-robbing device, but it worked all too effectively. Li Wenhai who came to Gao's rubber forest specifically to steal rubber accidentally tripped the device in September of 2004, and died instantly.