Fines and prison time for Jiangsu knife thrower

A man in Jiangsu Province was sentenced to six months behind bars and fined 2,000 yuan (US$309) for throwing two kitchen knives from the third floor of a building, the first conviction of such a crime since an amendment to the criminal law took effect.

The man surnamed Xu was found guilty of throwing two kitchen knives from his third-floor apartment during an argument with another person last year in the city of Liyang, the Yangtze Evening News reported today.

Although Xu’s behavior did not result in injuries or property losses, it constituted the crime of throwing objects at height, a new violation of criminal law that went into effect yesterday.

Seventeen new crimes were added to the law, including illegal collection of human genetic resources, defamation of martyrs and heroes and identity theft.