3 youths confess to sickening attack on teenager

Three youths seen beating up a teenager and then urinating on him in online footage that has shocked China, have admitted their guilt, police said on Monday.

There had been claims online that the victim of the attack in Beijing had died, but it emerged yesterday that he survived his ordeal.

One of the gang, surnamed Guo, 15, handed himself in to police at around 1am yesterday.

Nine hours later, a 15-year-old, surnamed Cheng, and a 17-year-old, surnamed Yang, were held in neighboring Hebei Province.

They assaulted a boy identified as Xiao Dong, 14, on wasteland in Naixi Village in Chaoyang District in Beijing last Friday, police said.

A boy, surnamed Chang, reported to be 15, is said to have filmed the attack. Footage was posted online on Saturday.

In the 8-minute 40-second clip, three youths stripped to the waist are seen slapping, punching and kicking Xiao Dong on the head, body and legs. The boy begs them to stop but they just laugh and continue.

Then one of the gang throws a brick at their victim, striking him on the head. He collapses to the ground and as he lies motionless his attackers urinate on him, the video shows.

While the video was later deleted, stills went viral, leading to outrage among web users who conducted a "human flesh search engine" to track down those responsible.

Chang went to his local police station to assist the investigation on Sunday, neighbors told the Legal Evening News.

Xiao Dong has received medical treatment and is in a stable condition, police said.

Under Chinese law, suspects aged between 16 and 18 can be charged with affray.

Xiao Dong said Guo was looking for revenge, wrongly believing that Xiao Dong had told police that the older boy had beaten up a child in April.

He said Cheng and Yang stopped him and classmates on their way to an Internet bar, dragging him over to wasteland, where Guo joined them.

Xiao Dong said they beat him and struck him with a three-meter pole before Yang threw a brick that hit him on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.

The paper reported that Xiao Dong's body was covered in bruises and he had a 15-centimeter scratch on his face.

"My head was smashed by a brick and I feel pain every time I rest on my pillow," he said.