A kindergarten teacher in China has been sentenced to death for poisoning dozens of children in an act of revenge against a colleague that left one toddler dead.
A court in the central Chinese province of Henan said Wang Yun put sodium nitrite into porridge being prepared for her colleague鈥檚 students, sickening 25.
The attack took place in March 2019 and left one boy severely ill for months before he died in January this year, according to news reports.
The Jiaozuo City Intermediate People鈥檚 Court on Monday said Wang knew sodium nitrite was harmful but went ahead 鈥渨ith no regard for the consequences,鈥� leaving many innocent children in hospital.
黑料社 reports last year said the children began vomiting and fainting after eating their breakfast.
Kindergarten students in China are aged between three and six.
The death sentence was handed to Wang this week for the offense of using dangerous substances.
Sodium nitrite is used for curing meats but can be toxic when ingested in high amounts.
Wang concealed her reasons for the poisoning after carrying out the crime and her 鈥渕otives were despicable,鈥� the court said.
Her 鈥渃riminal methods and circumstances were exceedingly bad, with especially severe circumstances, and she should be severely punished in accordance with the law,鈥� the sentencing statement said.
The court added that Wang and the manager of the kindergarten must compensate the children鈥檚 families.
It was not the first time Wang used sodium nitrite to poison someone, authorities said. In 2017 she put it in her husband鈥檚 mug, causing him minor injuries.
In March last year, 36 primary school students in southwest China鈥檚 Sichuan province were hospitalized after eating 鈥渕ouldy food.鈥�