A university student apologized to sports stars at a Beijing court yesterday for stealing millions of yuan from them to buy a Porsche for her boyfriend, Beijing Morning Post reported today.

The woman named Zhang Xiao met a pingpong player, surnamed Yang, in a bar in February last year. She soon fell in love with the handsome postgraduate.

Zhang lied to Yang and said her father is a wealthy shareholder and sales representative of a Beijing property company.

Later, Yang told his teacher, Zhou Shusen, Olympic pingpang gold medalists Zhang Yining, Wang Liqin and a friend Yang Xiaodong that Zhang Xiao could offer them discounts to buy homes built by the Beijing company.

Zhang Xiao charged Zhou, Zhang Yining and Yang a 10,000-yuan (US$1,290) down payment each and gave them fake receipts in May.

Zhang Xiao then borrowed her landlord's identity card to open accounts in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Construction Bank. Zhou deposited 710,000 yuan into the accounts, Yang Xiaodong deposited 340,000 yuan and Wang sent her 20,000 yuan.

Zhang Xiao even scammed her uncle of 1.1 million yuan by saying that she was a model in advertisements for the Beijing property company and could offer him a discount.

Zhang Xiao used the money to buy a Porsche, worth 1.3 million yuan, on May 14 for her boyfriend.

When the housing deals failed to go through, Zhou realized that Zhang Xiao had been tricking them and called the police. When Yang found out the truth, he returned the Porsche.

"I feel sorry that I cheated you because of my ignorance," Zhang Xiao said in court yesterday.

The court is still hearing the case.

(China Daily March 6, 2007)