SHIJIAZHUANG, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The main culprit of the barbecue restaurant assault case in north China's Hebei Province was sentenced to 24 years in prison by a local court on Friday.
Chen Jizhi was convicted of committing various crimes including intentional assault, affray, robbery, illegal detention and running casinos. A fine of 320,000 yuan (about 45,766.59 U.S. dollars) was also imposed on him, according to a statement from the People's Court of Guangyang District, Langfang City in Hebei.
The court found that since 2012, Chen had led a group of gangsters to commit crimes in Tangshan and other places. They disrupted the local economic and social orders, and caused adverse influence in society, said the statement.
Another 27 defendants were sentenced to jail terms between six months and 11 years. Several of them were involved in the barbecue restaurant assault case, while the others have participated in gang crimes with Chen.
The infamous assault incident took place on June 10 in Hebei's Tangshan City, resulting in injuries to four women. The case sparked widespread public concern. ■