Leading Chinese forensic scientist questions Heywood murder conviction (From Streatham Guardian)

Leading Chinese forensic scientist Wang Xuemei questions Neil Heywood murder conviction

4:50pm Monday 1st October 2012 in News

A leading Chinese forensic scientist has questioned the conviction of a man who was jailed for murdering Battersea businessman Neil Heywood with cyanide.

Gu Kailai, the wife of former Communist Party leader Bo Xilai, was handed a suspended death sentence last month after admitting murdering the 41-year-old last year.

But Wang Xuemei, the first female forensic scientist to work for the Chinese Government, said she felt "upset and scared" that the court believed poisoning was behind Mr Heywood's death.

In her official blog Ms Wang, who works for the Supreme People's Procuratorate, wrote: "I feel very pained, upset and scared that our court believed the theory [Heywood] was poisoned with cyanide.

"There was a serious lack of evidence."

The post was soon deleted but before it was removed, she told The Guardian: "I don't care how long it is up there. I just want to tell people I feel humiliated."

The scientist's statements cast doubt on the court's findings, questioning why obvious symptoms of cyanide poisoning were not mentioned in the court case or former police chief Wang Lijun's report.

Mr Wang was himself sentenced to 15 years in prison last week for his part in the cover up of Mr Heywood's murder.

The businessman was killed in a hotel in Chongqing province in November 2011 - initial reports in the Chinese media said he had died from alcohol poisoning.