Chinese mother asks for leniency for man who murdered her son

BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- A murderer has had his penalty reduced to 12 years at the request of the victim's mother, a Chinese court ruling said on Monday.

Song Xiaoming, 23, was jailed for 12 years for killing Ma Gang,26, on January 8, a Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court ruling said on Monday. Ma had refused to pay Song the 560 yuan (82.08 U.S. dollars) that he owed him.

The ruling was in consideration of Song's voluntary surrender and the request of Ma's mother, Liang Jianhong. She insisted Song should be given a second chance, the court said.

Song knelt in front of Liang in the court on Monday morning, crying. "Sorry, mother. You must take care of yourself before I am released,"he said.

After he killed Ma, Song thought a death sentence seemed inevitable.

His fate was changed by Liang's kindness. Liang said Song's death wouldn't bring her son back and Song was still young and could have a long life in front of him.

She also gave up asking for compensation from the defendant, noting "his family was even poorer than mine."

Song said he hated his own mother, who turned over her custody of him to his father after their divorce. He didn't get much affection from his father who used to beat him, and he grew to hate his mother for leaving him.

He said it was Mrs Liang who made him realize that nothing is unforgivable.

"Ms Liang gave me a second life. She is really a great person. She taught me about tolerance. I hope I can take care of her after I am released."

While Liang could not accept him calling her "mother," she said while she intervened to save Song's life, she still hated him for his crime.

"Once I saw him, it would remind me of my son," she said.