KUNMING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- A kindergarten teacher was sentenced to three years in jail Wednesday for pricking more than 60 children with a hypodermic needle, a court in southwest China's Yunnan Province announced.
Sun Qiqi, a teacher at Xihu Kindergarten in Jianshui County, pled guilty to pricking 63 "disobedient" children with the needle attached to an empty syringe as a punishment in October, the county court said in a statement.
The assaults caused widespread panic among preschoolers and parents in the county, it said.
A court spokesman said Sun was convicted of jeopardizing public safety, a crime that can lead to three to 10 years imprisonment. "She majored in medicine at school and should know well the possible consequences."
Sun said she had not decided whether to appeal.
A report by psychological health experts indicated Sun had personality disorders, but should be held responsible for her actions.
All the victims, aged from 3 to 5, tested negative for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV in a subsequent checks by the local health authority, the court official said.
The court rejected a total of 1.8 million yuan (264,000 U.S. dollars) compensation claim from the victims' parents.
The parents also withdrew a lawsuit against the management of the kindergarten, Sun Jian and his wife Bai Yali, and the Xihu Primary School where the kindergarten is located.
Sun Jian and his wife set up the private kindergarten on the old campus of the school last year under a 20-year lease contract.
