Court upholds sentence for Chinese quack doctor

A central China court on Wednesday upheld a 15-year sentence for a quack doctor for practicing medicine without a license, which led to the death of a college student.

The Higher People's Court in Henan Province rejected the appeal filed by Hu Wanlin, a self-proclaimed "omnipotent doctor".

In addition to his prison term, Hu was fined 200,000 yuan (31,980 US dollars) by the Luoyang Intermediate People's Court in Henan Province in November last year.

Hu's partners, Lyu Wei and Tang Mengjun, received 11 years and three years respectively with different fines during the first trial. A fourth defendant, He Guizhi, was cleared.

In August 2013, Hu and his followers took a group of 12 "patients" to a hotel in Henan's Xin'an County on a "health program". A 22-year-old college student Yun Xuyang died after ingesting a substance provided by Hu.

An autopsy showed Yun had consumed Glauber's salt, a colorless hydrated sodium sulfate used in paper and glass manufacture, and a cathartic and diuretic.

Nong Mengyuan lost consciousness after taking Hu's concoction, but was saved by Xin'an County People's Hospital.

Hu, 65, from Mianyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2001 for practising medicine without a license. He was released in 2011 after a term reduction.