Top circuit court to retry doubtful rape, murder case
Xinhua, June 22, 2016 Adjust font size:
A circuit court under the Supreme People's Court (SPC) has been assigned to conduct a retrial of rape and murder case in which a man was found guilty and executed two decades ago.
The Second SPC Circuit Court in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, will rehear the case of Nie Shubin, the SPC said in a statement Wednesday. A review found that evidence presented in the original trial was insufficient to identify Nie as the perpetrator beyond all doubt.
President of the Shenyang court Hu Yunteng will be the chief justice in the retrial.
Nie, from Hebei Province, was convicted and executed in 1995 for the rape and murder of a woman. In 2005, another man confessed to the crime.
In December 2014, the SPC, following an application from Hebei Higher People's Court, assigned the higher court of Shandong Province to review the case.
The review panel concluded that the evidence was questionable and suggested the case be reheard.
The SPC statement noted that decisions and rulings of its circuit courts are deemed to be those made by the SPC itself. Endi