China court rejects appeal in tainted milk scandal

A court in northern China on Thursday upheld a sentence of life in prison for the former head of the company at the centre of last year's scandal over contaminated milk, state media reported.

Xinhua news agency said the court in Hebei province also struck down appeals by two men sentenced to death over the scandal, which killed at least six children and sickened nearly 300,000 others.

Tian Wenhua, 66, had appealed the life sentence handed down in January after she was convicted of "manufacturing and selling fake or substandard products" while serving as chairwoman of the now-defunct dairy producer Sanlu Group.

The appeal was struck down by the Hebei Province Higher People's Court in the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang, where Sanlu was based.

Sanlu was the first and one of the biggest dairy producers found to have sold products laced with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics.

The melamine was mixed into watered-down milk to give the appearance of higher protein levels.

Two men sentenced to death over the scandal, Zhang Yujun and Geng Jinping, also had their appeals struck down.

Zhang was convicted of endangering public security for producing and selling a "protein powder" containing the melamine, while Geng was found to have sold powder-laced milk to dairy brokers.

The court also denied appeals by two brothers of Zhang and Geng, who were sentenced to life and eight years in prison, respectively, Xinhua said.

A total of 21 people went on trial in January for their role in making or selling milk tainted with melamine.

The scandal came to light in September, reviving long-standing fears over product safety in China and leading to recalls and bans around the world of Chinese-made products.

Tian also had been found guilty of failing to stop the sale of the dangerous products after learning they were contaminated, the official China Daily said.