EIGHT suspects, accused of abducting a Hong Kong tycoon’s daughter, were given prison sentences of up to 15 years at a hearing at the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court on Friday.

    The ringleader was sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to a Southern Metropolis Daily’s report.

    The suspects reportedly sneaked into a luxury villa in Fei Ngo Shan, Hong Kong, a wealthy neighborhood bordering Shenzhen, on April 25 last year. The gang allegedly stole luxury goods worth more than HK$2 million (US$257,828) from the house and kidnapped a woman who was found inside.

    The woman, identified as Queenie Rosita Law, is the daughter of a Hong Kong tycoon. Law’s family handed over HK$28 million to the gang in return for her release. All eight suspects were detained in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou a few days after the kidnapping.

    Among the eight defendants, six of them were charged with kidnapping and the other two were accused of concealing the crimes at the first court hearing in March this year.

    According to the court’s ruling Friday, the ringleader, You Dunkui, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 100,000 yuan (US$14,925). His accomplices Wang Libo, Wang Yukun and Xiong Denghui were sentenced to 13 years in prison, and each of them was fined 80,000 yuan.

    As to other accomplices, both Zhang Aohong and Mao Xiao-bing were sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined 60,000 yuan. Liang Qishun was sentenced to three years in prison and fined 20,000 yuan, while Dai Xunhui was sentenced to 22 months in prison and fined 20,000 yuan.

    (Zhang Yang)