Telecom fraud case shows cyberspace must be regulated

IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR, Xu Yuyu from Linyi, East China's Shandong province, died of a heart stroke after phoning the police to report telephone fraudsters had cheated her of the money her family had saved to pay for her college fees. On Sept 15, seven suspects involved in the case were found guilty. Thepaper.cn comments:

The case has finally come to its end and justice has been done.

Some say the criminals were given too heavy penalties because one of them was given a life sentence, which is almost the highest penalty for telecom fraud, but that is not the case. According to a judicial explanation by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the actions of the seven criminals resulted in a death so the case should be considered "especially serious" and those responsible deserve harsher penalties than normal.