A middle school student who claimed to be the second Sprite mercury-poisoning victim has confessed he poisoned himself, the Beijing police said Thursday.

Wang Haoyong, 14, confessed to the police on Wednesday that he broke a thermometer and ate the mercury out of curiosity.

Finding himself feeling unwell, in order to avoid getting into trouble with his parents, he bought a can of Sprite and secretly put the leftover mercury into the can, according to a statement from the Beijing municipal public security bureau.

After investigating the incident, the police decided Wang's behavior could not be regarded as a crime and asked his parents to take him home.

Wang Yijun, the teenager's father, said he is deeply sorry for his son's behavior and hopes to get an opportunity to apologize to the Coca-Cola Co.

"We didn't know anything about it until he told the police yesterday afternoon," Wang said on Thursday, adding that the revelation made him feel like he had been hit in the head with a rock.

"If I knew anything about it, I wouldn't have reported it to the police and I wouldn't have informed the media," he said. "It has damaged Coco-Cola's reputation."

Wang said he called Coca-Cola offering to return the 20,000 yuan (US$2,900) from the company for his son's treatment and has yet to receive a reply.

The middle school student, who is currently suspended from school, is staying home due to his poor health after being hospitalized with mercury poisoning on Jan 17.

"We've talked to him about it but we cannot be too harsh. He knows he made a huge mistake," Wang said about his son, whose condition has improved.

Police received a similar con Nov 7, 2009, when 21-year-old Ma Sai claimed he was poisoned by mercury after drinking a can of Sprite in a restaurant in Beijing's Xicheng district.

However, Ma later confessed to the police on March 15 that he knew his friend was responsible for the poisoning but he had agreed to conceal the truth.

Ma and the person allegedly responsible for the poisoning, a 28-year-old woman surnamed Liu, have both been put under criminal detention and the case is being investigated, according to the police.

Zhai Mei, Coca-Cola China's spokeswoman, said the company is pleased to learn the outcome of both of these cases following the police investigations.

"With the police announcement, we consider these cases over. Sprite is and always has been produced to the most stringent quality standards and consumers can feel completely confident about its safety and quality," she said.

(China Daily March 20, 2010)