3 Chinese cops on trial for beating woman to death

Three Chinese policemen on Monday went on trial over the fatal beating of a female migrant worker, a court said, a case that sparked an online outcry about violence by law enforcers.

Zhou Xiuyun, 47, was assaulted by the police at a construction site in Taiyuan in December as she tried to prevent officers taking away her husband and son over a dispute with security guards, according to previous media reports.

The three were taken to a local police station where Zhou was thrown to the ground while the two men were beaten up, they said. Zhou died the next day in <g data-gr-id="13">hospital</g>.

Footage showing policeman Wang Wenjun trampling the hair of a dazed Zhou went viral online a week later, intensifying public anger.