PLA singer's son held on rape charges

Police in Beijing confirmed on Sunday that the son of one of the People's Liberation Army's most famous singers has been detained on suspicion of rape.

Li Guanfeng, 17, is among five suspects being investigated over allegations of a sexual assault on Feb 17.

Li Guanfeng (right), then named Li Tianyi, performs with his parents, both famous singers, at a holiday concert in 2011. DOU SHAN / FOR CHINA DAILY

An officer with Haidian district police who declined to give his name said the suspects are accused of gang-raping a woman in a hotel room after a night of drinking.

A complaint was made on Tuesday and the suspects were detained in a car park in Chaoyang district on Wednesday, he said.

Police had disclosed no further details of the case as of Sunday, noting that it involved minors.

Li is the son of Li Shuangjiang, a well-known singer of the PLA. The youth is his second child with his second wife, Meng Ge, also a singer.

According to Beijing media reports, the 74-year-old fell ill after his son was detained and is receiving hospital treatment.

At the age of 15, Li Guanfeng — then named Li Tianyi — was involved in a serious assault. Police said he confessed to assaulting a couple in a driving dispute.

The couple later reached a compensation agreement with Li Shuangjiang that included sending the teen to reform school for a year.

Upon his release in September 2012, he legally changed his name to Li Guanfeng.

According to Han Yusheng, a criminal law professor at Renmin University of China, an adult convicted of rape faces at least 10 years in prison, but a defendant under age 18 would probably receive a more lenient sentence.

Contact the writer at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn