Chinese businessman executed for raping 25 underage schoolgirls, accomplice responsible for scouting victims sentenced to death
A successful Chinese businessman was reportedly executed after he was found guilty of raping 25 underage female students, according to a court in China. Zhao Zhiyong sexually assaulted the young victims on 32 occasions in the space of one and a half years. Zhiyong was sentenced to death for rape last October before being executed June 4, according to the Kaifeng Intermediate People's Court in central China's Henan Province.
The court issued an online statement that said the 49-year-old conspired with an accomplice named Li Na, who was responsible for scouting for victims. As per reports, Na brought underage girls to hotels or Zhiyong's home between May 2015 and January 2017 for him to have sexual intercourse with by force. The court documents mentioned it carried out the execution after receiving an order from the Supreme Court.
Zhiyong was said to be an influential businessman in Kaifeng. He owned a large flour factory and was the deputy head of the Kaifeng Chamber of Commerce, as reported by Chinese news outlet The Paper, citing a court notice. Zhiyong was also said to be a representative of the Kaifeng People's Congress.
The court notice also reportedly claimed the businessman sent Na to look for "young female pupils" from middle schools in the county of Weishi so he could have sex with them. Na, with the help of eight accomplices, forced the victims to sleep with Zhiyong by beating them, intimidating them and taking pictures of their privates as threats.
The notice added that the Chinese business figure raped 25 middle school students on 32 occasions, including 14 girls who were not yet 14 years old. His accomplice Na was also sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve.