Bogu Kailai earns suspended sentence for homicide

A court in China has sentenced Bogu Kailai to a suspended death sentence for intentional homicide.

The wife of disgraced Chinese politician, Bo Xilai was on Monday jailed with a two-year reprieve, for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in 2011.

The court verdict by the Hefei City Intermediate People's Court in east China's Anhui Province also deprived her of political rights for life.

Zhang Xiaojun, an accessory in the case, was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Suspended death sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment in China.

Murder by poisoning
The court found that in 2011, Bogu Kailai and her son surnamed Bo had conflicts with Heywood over economic interests. Heywood had threatened Bo in e-mails, which made Bogu Kailai fear for her son's personal safety and decided to murder him.

According to the court verdict, Bogu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun poisoned Heywood to death, committing the crime of intentional homicide.

After the verdict was delivered, both Bogu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun said they would not lodge appeals.

XINHUA/Yinka