A man who severed the Beijing-Kowloon railway in an attempt to derail a passenger train has been sentenced at a court in east China's Jiangxi Province to life in prison.

Wu Guochang was also deprived of his political rights for life, under the sentence passed at the Intermediate People's Court for Railway Transportation in Nanchang, the provincial capital.

Wu was charged with severing a 142-cm piece of rail on the Jiangxi section of the railway on March 24, which is a key passenger and cargo rail trunk in China.

His crime almost led to the derailment of a passenger train, which had to apply its emergency brakes, the court heard. The action delayed eight passenger and 10 freight trains, causing losses of 70,924 yuan (US$8,865).

The Public Security Ministry on April 30 issued a class A warrant for Wu's arrest with a reward of 300,000 yuan (US$37,500) for information leading to his conviction. Wu was arrested on May 1 in Jianyang City, Fujian Province, after railway police received a tip-off.

He was also charged with arson in his hometown of Jiande City, in neighboring Zhejiang Province, on October 6, 2003. The fire injured one person and damaged five homes and other building. According to prosecutors, Wu was seeking revenge against relatives involved in his family feud.

Wu said he would appeal to higher court after the trial of the first instance, which started on Friday.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2006)