Convicted drunk driver Sun Weiming is hoping the death sentence he was handed for killing four people will be overturned after the court takes into consideration a compensation deal he has reached with the families of those who died in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Sun and his father, Sun Lin, negotiated for four hours with family members yesterday, and agreed that the relatives will share 1 million yuan ($146,300).

Under the terms of the deal, Sun Lin will pay the money before Aug 25. The families have agreed to then send a letter to the high court in Sichuan province, where Sun's appeal is set to be heard.

"According to law, the letter should help a lot in downgrading Sun's punishment, because it shows both Sun's sincerity of remorse and decreases the hurt felt by family members," said Sun's lawyer Shi Junying.

Sun Lin was quoted yesterday in Chengdu Daily as saying: "I'll try my best in the next three weeks to compensate the family members. I'll do my best to borrow money. My son killed four people. I understand their families' anger, but I just want to save his life."

Sun Weiming, a company executive, was found guilty of driving his Buick car on Dec 14 into four sedans traveling in the opposite direction.

Tests showed Sun had 135.8 milligrams of alcohol in his blood. A person is considered drunk with an alcohol content of 80 milligrams per 100 milliliters.

He is believed to be the first drunk driver in China to be charged with "endangering public safety" and sentenced to death.

The Chengdu Intermediate People's Court handed him the death sentence on July 23.

Sun submitted his petition for appeal on July 28, saying the death penalty was too harsh because he did not intend to kill the four people.

Wang Xudong, a Zhejiang-based lawyer, agrees that the death penalty may have been too harsh for a drunk-driving offense.

(China Daily August 6, 2009)