The case of a civil servant assaulting a doctor in eastern China’s Zhejiang province sparked online backlash after his family claimed he was schizophrenic and should therefore receive a lighter punishment.
On Wednesday afternoon, police in Wencheng County said that the man, surnamed Zhu, had attacked a doctor and disrupted public order at a local hospital on Monday after his daughter’s fever failed to abate following treatment. Zhu’s family claimed that he had a history of schizophrenia — even providing a purported diagnosis — and requested a psychiatric evaluation prior to the police investigation.
On microblogging platform Weibo, Chinese netizens are accusing Zhu of using his mental illness as a “shield” against legal punishment. After media reported that Zhu is employed by the Wencheng County housing and urban-rural development bureau, netizens reacted with incredulity at how a violent schizophrenic could have been hired as a public servant in the first place.
On Wednesday evening, the Wencheng police issued another statement on Weibo saying that Zhu had been evaluated for psychological issues and deemed mentally fit to be punished: He will be criminally detained for 15 days and fined 300 yuan ($43).
(Image: China News Service)
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