The adoptive father of the Dongzhimen bomber has slammed the decision to jail his son for seven years.

Judges at Dongcheng district court sentenced Lei Sen, 22, on Tuesday, almost a month after his trial for exploding a homemade device in downtown Beijing that injured an American student.

However, the convict's father - who is in his 50s - complained after the hearing that the punishment is too severe.

"He just set off a small blast and did not cause severe social problems," he told Mirror Evening News (they did not reveal his name). "His behavior was a random act. He's a coward and has severe psychological problems. Society is not fair to the boy."

The migrant worker, who is based in South China's Guangdong province, added that he is worried his son's life will be ruined when he is released at the age 30.

Lei, who potentially faced up to 10 years for his crime, maintained an emotionless glare for much of the sentence hearing, murmuring only "Dad, I'm sorry" as he was escorted from the courtroom. Although he suggested he will not appeal the verdict in front of the judge, he told reporters afterwards that he will challenge the punishment.

"The sentence is quite lenient because the blast did not cause death or severe social problems," presiding judge Lin Meimei told METRO. "He also confessed and cooperated with the police investigation."

A court employee who asked to be identified only as Sun said Lei's father paid 10 yuan to adopt Lei as a baby in Sichuan province. Upon learning this at 14, the convict's school scores began to slide.

"He couldn't figure out why he was abandoned by his own parents and it led to him developing an inferiority complex," he said.

Sun added that his adoptive father is also said to have beaten him as a child, leading the young man to leave home and look for work as a migrant laborer after finishing middle school. Lei was unemployed at the time of the blast. He told the court he wanted to "avenge a grudge against society" and had purposely targeted foreigners.

The explosive device, which he made in his rented apartment in Huairou district using components taken from a remote-controlled toy car, caused minor injures to the right leg of Michael Charles, a student at the Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University.

Dongcheng judges said Lei will be given psychological help in prison to help him rebuild his life in the future.

China Daily

(China Daily 04/27/2011)