BEIJING - A foreman from a kiln in north China where workers were beaten and forced to work 18-hour days was sentenced Tuesday to life in jail and another man was sentenced to death for the beating death of a laborer, a court official said.

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The slave labor scandal erupted last month after hundreds of parents complained their children were being forced to work in brick kilns in Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.

Foreman Heng Tinghan was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on charges of intentional injury and unlawful detention, said Shanxi Provincial High Court Vice President Liu Jimin during an online video press conference.

One of Heng's subordinates, Zhao Yanbing, was sentenced to death for committing intentional injury, Liu said. The court said that one worker, identified as Liu Bao, died after a beating from Zhao.

Kiln boss Wang Bingbing was sentenced to nine years in jail for unlawful detention, Liu said.

The convictions were handed down by the Intermediate People's Court of Linfen City in Shanxi. It was not immediately clear whether Heng, Zhao or Wang would appeal.

Earlier media reports said Heng supervised the workers and ordered his subordinates to beat the "lazy" ones. Between March and late May, 17 workers were injured and one died, prosecutors said.

People's Daily has quoted Wang as saying the operation originally had employed local workers, but began using those provided by human traffickers last year after falling into debt.

Wang's father was a village-level Communist Party secretary, and he was expelled from the party after the scandal broke.

Close to 1,000 workers were released following police raids over recent months. Premier Wen Jiabao has ordered a thorough probe and punishment of kiln owners and officials who abetted their activities.