The teenage son of a Chinese army general has been charged with rape, state media said, in case that has sparked public anger over abuses by the country’s ‘elite’ youth.
Seventeen-year-old Li Tianyi and four others face trial over the gang rape of a woman, Xinhua news agency said Monday, citing a Beijing district public prosecutor.
The incident in February allegedly happened at a Beijing hotel after Li and his friends had drinks at a bar, reports AFP.
Li, the son of army General Li Shuangjiang, was involved in a road rage incident in 2011, triggering public resentment towards the behaviour of the children of China’s privileged.
He was sent to detention for a year after assaulting a middle-aged couple who reportedly blocked the passage of his and his friend’s car.
They threatened bystanders not to “dare call police”. He was 15 at that time and both were driving luxury vehicles.
His father apologized to the couple over the incident.
Chinese citizens criticized the incident as an example of the how children of the rich and powerful act as if they were above the law, reports BBC.
