Execution For Chinese Ride-sharing Driver Who Killed Passenger

Image copyright Reuters

Chinese man Zhong Yuan has been sentenced to death for raping and killing a female passenger in August 2018.

Mr Zhong was a driver for Didi Chuxing's ride-sharing service Hitch when he committed the crime.

The fatal attack led Didi to suspend Hitch and overhaul the way it vets drivers for the service.

Didi also faced strong criticism from the Chinese government and the public for the way Hitch had been run.

The death sentence on the 28-year-old was announced by a court in Wenzhou.

"The criminal means were extremely cruel and the consequences of the crime are extremely serious," the court said in a statement.

The death in August was the second to involve the service and led to executives at Didi Chuxing being fined over the deaths.

In fining the senior managers, the Chinese government said Didi had broken multiple safety rules, presented a "major safety hazard" and had failed to properly flag high-risk drivers.

The cases caused a public outcry, led to calls for a boycott of the service and brought about its suspension. The service has not been restarted.

A spokesman for Didi said it had no comment to make on the verdict.