Man, 24, sentenced to death for rape and murder of student

A 24-year-old man who raped and murdered a university student at a scenic spot in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, last year was given the death sentence by an intermediate court on Friday.

Xiong Zhicheng, from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was convicted of intentional homicide and forceful sexual assault by the Hangzhou City Intermediate People's Court.

He was sentenced to five years' prison for the rape and handed the death sentence for murdering the university student, surnamed Tan. Xiong was also deprived of his political rights.

"The convict used cruel means to kill the victim, resulting in serious consequences and causing great harm to society, so he should be severely punished," the court said in a statement.

Xiong was heavily in debt after losing money gambling on the internet, the court said.

Before the attack in November last year, Xiong had walked around the West Lake — a famous scenic spot in Hangzhou — for several days to search for a victim, the court said.

He eventually befriended Tan who was alone in the West Lake area.

Xiong stabbed Tan in the chest and belly and pushed her down a steep slope nearby. He then went down the slope and sexually assaulted her, the court said.

Xiong eventually slit her throat and stabbed her to death.

The court said Xiong had given up hope in life because of his gambling debts and wanted to take revenge on society.