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A car thief who killed a two-month-old baby after he found him in the vehicle he was stealing was sentenced to death by a court in northeast China yesterday.

Zhou Xijun [File photo]

Zhou Xijun, 49, drove off with the SUV after the boy's parents had left the key in the ignition and the baby on the back seat while they went into their grocery store in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, on March 4, the court heard.

Zhou stopped at Yongfa Township, halfway to his destination in Shuangliao City, killed the baby and buried his body. He later discarded the baby's clothes and abandoned the car.

In addition to the death sentence, the Changchun Intermediate People's Court fined him 50,000 yuan (US$8,170) and ordered him to pay more than 17,000 yuan compensation to the family, China Central Television reported. He has appealed the ruling, the report said.

The disappearance of the baby sparked a massive manhunt across northeastern China with thousands of police and cabbies keeping a lookout on roads and expressways. Zhou was said to be so overwhelmed by the public reaction that he gave himself up the next day and confessed to his crimes.

The tragedy triggered a heated discussion about parental responsibility.

The murderer had "lost humanity" but the parents and lack of laws as to their responsibilities were also to blame, Shanghai adviser Duan Qihua, a lawyer, told the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing in March.

Some countries, such as the United States and Canada, rule that children under 12 can't be left home alone, with parents facing court action if found guilty of neglect.

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