Chinese police chief who brought down Bo Xilai jailed

The police chief who blew the whistle on the murder of the British businessman Neil Heywood, toppling one of China's most prominent political families, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

A court in Chengdu found Wang Lijun, 52, guilty of attempting to cover up the crime, defection, illegal wiretapping and corruption.

Judges said Wang would have to serve 15 years, and China Central Television, the state broadcaster, reported that he would not appeal.

Wang is the former chief of police in Chongqing, the city that used to be run by Bo Xilai, the former Politburo member whose wife, Gu Kailai, was found guilty last month of poisoning Heywood. Wang passed details of the case to diplomats when he fled to Chengdu's US consulate in February and claimed asylum.

After Wang's sentencing, his lawyer, Wang Yuncai, raised the possibility that her client may seek some sort of medical parole. "I cannot say how many years he will serve," she said. "If he gets the chance to go to a hospital for a serious illness then there is no minimum sentence that he will have to serve."

Wang appeared in good health during his trial, but one diplomatic source suggested he had been in poor physical and mental condition. A psychiatrist also said he exhibited "clear signs of mental disturbance" in the days before he hid in the consulate for 33 hours.

The police chief could have received the death penalty, but was instead given nine years for accepting pounds 300,000 in bribes, seven for covering up Heywood's murder, two for defection and two for running illegal wiretaps. Some of the sentences will run concurrently. Wang will also be "deprived of his political rights", essentially removing him from all political positions and banning him from speaking freely.

The court appears to have balanced Wang's attempted defection with his help in bringing down Bo. There is speculation in China that Bo will also face prosecution for allegedly covering up the murder.

"With such a political aspect to it, you cannot judge this case solely on a legal basis," said Pi Yijun, a law professor at China's Law and Political Science university.

"The sentence took into account his evidence on Bo's case, and also the likely reaction of the public. The public liked Wang and the campaigns he ran, which hit at the mafia. It was mostly intellectuals who were unhappy with him because of the illegal way he went about his job."

Hu Shuli, the editor of Caixin, one of China's leading news magazines, wrote in an editorial that the case showed how police officers in Chongqing competed to cover up the crime for their political masters. "Wang was wise to conduct further investigations over Heywood's death and keep key evidence. He had no other choice but to enter the US consulate and seek asylum," she wrote.

"When mafia members break up with their bosses, they can attempt to seek police protection. But in Chongqing and for the former police boss, there was nowhere to turn."