What do you do if a judge gives you a sentence that you consider overly harsh?

Beg, Plead, Cry, Get Angry? Not if your name is Marcial Anguiano.

What you do is try to commit suicide! In court, on the stand, in front of the judge. 

Marcial Anguiano, 47, of Duncanville, Texas had an extensive criminal history, in fact he had previously served five separate prison terms. He had just pleaded guilty in front of state District Judge Larry Mitchell, to aggravated assault for cutting his niece with a butcher knife.

He had hoped to be sentenced to probation for the charge. Instead Judge Mitchell, perhaps influenced by Anguiano's criminal past, sentenced him to 40 years in prison.

"He looked up at me kind of quizzically and said, '40 years?'" Mitchell told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "And I said, 'Yes, 40 years.'"

What happened next was a complete surprise to everyone. Marcial Anguiano pulled out a razor blade and "put it to his throat hard, and blood started gushing out." The courtroom bailiffs rushed the defendant, handcuffed him and led him to the holding cell adjacent to the courtroom, where he waited until paramedics arrived.

Dallas County sheriff's spokeswoman Kim Leach said the blade cut into muscle but did not strike an artery. Anguiano was taken from the Dallas County courthouse on a stretcher with his neck covered in bandages. He was talking as he was carried out and was hospitalized in stable condition.

Anguiano bled on the railing that separates the courtroom audience from the front of the court, and on the first row of benches. Mitchell's court shut down for about 30 minutes while custodians cleaned up the mess.

"If the bailiffs hadn't intervened, he was certainly capable of causing his own death," Mitchell said.

It looks as if Anguiano tried to sneak two razor blades into the courtroom. Before the hearing began, a bailiff noticed Anguiano holding something in his hand. The bailiff ordered the defendant to put the object down on the defense table. He complied, and the bailiff confiscated one blade. But a second blade went undiscovered.

"We have great safety procedures and policies in place, but we are looking to see how this happened," Leach said. "If there was human error involved, there could be possible disciplinary action."

What is not known is if Anguiano will faces additional charges related to his suicide attempt. Judge Mitchell said his actions were almost certainly illegal but speculated that the "40-year sentence is probably more than enough for him."

Follow me on Twitter

Its an age-old story: Two women fight over the same man.

This story, which involves a Facebook feud, a high-speed car chase and a 3-year-old, however has very tragic consequences. In the end one woman (not a party to the dispute) is dead. Another woman is in critical condition in hospital and a third woman is in jail facing multiple felony charges.

Torrie Lynn Emery, 23, of Pontiac, Michigan was ordered held without bond by 50th District Judge Preston Thomas on July 24, 2010. She is charged with second-degree murder, assault with intent to commit great bodily harm and child abuse.

Torrie Lynn Emery and 20-year-old Danielle Booth had been feuding over a 23-year-old unnamed man who is incarcerated in a Michigan prison. Their dispute was at times carried on through the online service Facebook. Police said Booth had filed a threatening and harassing report against Emery.

On Wednesday, July 21st Emery spotted Booth in a car driven by her friend Alesha Abernathy, 21. An argument ensued and Booth and Abernathy drove off with Emery chasing them. Emery also had her 3-year-old daughter in her car. According to reports Emery rammed the other car during a high-speed chase which at times reached 100 mph. A frantic Danielle Booth was on the phone with the police during the chase.

Police Det. Paul McDougal, who was in an unmarked squad car, saw both vehicles rush by at speeds approaching 100 mph but was unable to catch them before the car in which the two girls were driving ran a red light at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Rapid Street and plowed into a dump truck, knocking it onto its side.

View Larger Map

Alesha Abernathy died as a result of the impact. Danielle Booth was critically injured and taken to POH Regional Medical Center in Pontiac. Torrie Emery, her 3-year-old daughter and the truck driver were not injured.

"It's unbelievable," Pontiac police Chief Valard S. Gross told The Associated Press as he described the escalating dispute that ended with Wednesday's deadly crash. "It's just crazy."

"How can you get that angry or that jealous, really, that you jeopardize the life of your 3-year-old?" Gross asked. "One person's stupidity, and look at the repercussions. It's just a ripple effect."

Torrie Emery’s friends and family members packed the courtroom Friday and shed tears during the brief proceeding. Emery struggled to speak over sobs and sighs during the video arraignment. At one point, Thomas had to ask Emery to speak up.

With tears in her eyes and a strain on her voice, Emery said, “I didn’t mean to kill nobody”

Immediately following the court appearance, Emery’s friends and family gathered outside and attempted to console her mother, Tracy Emery.

“She wasn’t trying to kill anybody,” Tracy Emery screamed while sitting in front of the courthouse. “Please have mercy on her, Lord.”

“I’m not asking that she don’t pay for her mistakes,” Tracy Emery said. “She made a mistake, but her intentions were not to kill nobody. Her intentions were to fight.

According to Sue Edmonds of Oakland County Pre-trial Services, Torrie Emery is bipolar and she has a history of failing to appear in court and violating probation.

Follow me on Twitter

According to Wikipedia: Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia and necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses. In many countries it is a crime and -- I would go as far as to say -- abhorrent to most people all over the world. However it does exist and as a testament to that fact there is the story of Roopram Bacchus.

Roopram Bacchus is a 20-year-old man also known as ‘Toe Toe’, of Lot 25 Adelphi Village, East Canje, Berbice near New Amsterdam in Guyana. He is employed as a garbage collector.

View New Amsterdam in a larger map

He was brought before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo of the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court accused of two charges:

• Exhuming the body of a 75-year-old woman, Sumintra Shaw Narayan and 
• Committing an act of Necrophilia 

Prosecutor Inspector Satrohan Dayaram told the court that sometime between March 5th and 6th Roopram Bacchus broke into the tomb where Sumintra Narayan had been buried just hours before. He took out the coffin and removed the body and then committed an indecent act on the corpse. Afterward he took away money and jewellery that was left in the coffin by relatives.

When asked what he had to say, the defendant said that he was guilty of the first charge and told the court that it was the first time he was “ever involved in police story”. He said that he is sorry for what he did and begged for a chance. He blamed his actions on a drinking problem and said he would not drink anymore. He then begged the magistrate to fine him and not put him in jail. He faces a possible 5-year jail sentence.

Magistrate Nagamootoo, suspecting something was wrong with the man, asked the prosecutor if the defendant has psychological problems. The prosecutor responded that the defendant was examined at the Fort Canje Psychiatric Hospital, and was deemed to be ‘fit and sane’. Not being satisfied with the prosecutor's response, the magistrate said she wanted to see the actual report before deciding on the sentence and set a new court date.

As he was leaving court Bacchus begged the relatives of the deceased woman, who had gathered in large numbers at the court, to “help meh out, see wha’ yuh could do for meh and give me a chance”.

When they next appeared in court the magistrate fined Roopram Bacchus $200.

This story began when 75-year-old Sumintra Narayan took ill on March 1st. with a heart condition and was rushed to the New Amsterdam hospital where she later died. She was buried on Friday, 5th March. The next day the dead woman’s son, Badranauth Narayan, 44, an employee at the Rose Hall Estate, had told investigators that he received a call that someone had broken into his mother’s tomb.

After arriving at the tomb Badranauth Narayan found his mother's corpse was naked, the legs sprawled and there was what looked like semen in the corpse’s vaginal area. There were also bite marks on the body and the legs looked like they were broken. 

Who ever committed the act also burnt the casket and the woman’s clothing. Foreign and local currencies, as well as jewellery, which were placed in the hands of the deceased, as is customary in Hindu burial rites, were also stolen.

Acting on a report that Roopram Bacchus during the night had made a purchase at a shop close by, citizens effected an arrest and delivered the man to the police station. However, that was not before he was beaten badly by the dead woman's relatives. A bartender from the nearby shop told them that Bacchus showed up at his shop that same night covered with cement debris and ordered a beer with two single U. S. dollar notes. Eyewitnesses also report that they had seen the man in the vicinity Friday evening.

Police said they saw evidence of the partly burnt US dollar at the burial site but the badly beaten man claimed that he got the money from his mother who is overseas. After his initial denial of involvement  Roopram Bacchus later confessed to the crime. The dead woman was reburied in another casket and placed in the same tomb, which was later repaired.

Relatives, some of whom had travelled from overseas, said that Roopram Bacchus was at the funeral of 75-year-old Sumintra Narayan and had even helped with the final rites. They were grateful to the residents who helped to capture the perpetrator.

Follow me on Twitter

Christopher Dudus Coke the "Don" of Tivoli Gardens, Jamaica went before a Manhattan, NY court to plead not guilty to various drugs and illegal gun trafficking charges that could see him spending the rest of his life in prison. 

It was almost a year ago, on August 28,2009 that an extradition request was issued and presented to the Jamaican authorities. See the details here. 

The government of Jamaica and in particular the Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, delayed granting the request, resulting in strained relations between the U.S. and Jamaica.

In the end, bowing to political pressure, the Prime Minister signed the warrant for the arrest of Christopher Dudus Coke. When the police moved to execute the warrant they met stiff resistance from the Tivoli Gardens community where Dudus was believed to be staying, resulting in the government declaring a State of Emergency. 73 civilian died during this operation. Christopher Dudus Coke went into hiding.

Finally, after a month-long manhunt, Dudus decided to give himself up. He solicited the help of a well-known pastor and while en route to the U.S. embassy was captured in a roadblock on June 22,2010.

Christopher Dudus Coke was remanded in custody by U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson after his not guilty plea in the Manhattan courtroom. He is being represented by a team of lawyers, including Frank Doddato and Russel Newfeld, who plans to seek bail even though prosecutors want to keep him in jail.

Judge Robert Patterson set a new hearing for June 28,2010 at which time a decision will be made on whether to grant bail or not. 

Follow me on Twitter

It's Over! Christopher Dudus Coke has been captured by the Jamaican authorities. It happened about 4:00pm on June 22, 2010 on Mandela Highway just outside the capital, Kingston.

According to reports Coke was on his way to surrender himself at the U.S. embassy, in the company of a respected preacher --- the Rev. Al Miller, pastor of the Fellowship Tabernacle --- when the vehicle in which he was traveling ran into a police roadblock. It appears as if the police had prior knowledge of Dudus' plans. Police Commissioner, Owen Ellington told reporters that they were "acting on intelligence" when the vehicle was stopped.

Coke, who was reportedly wearing a wig at the time, was transported to the Spanish Town Police Station where he was held for just over two hours before being transported by Jamaica Defence Force helicopter to an undisclosed location.

The capture of Christopher Dudus Coke after a month-long manhunt has been costly:

• Strained relations with the U.S. 
• A State of Emergency declared (and is still in effect) 
• 73 lives lost in a police raid on Tivoli Gardens 
• An embattled Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, who faces an uncertain political future 

Reaction in Tivoli Gardens, Dudus' community has been mixed. Most people expressed relief that Dudus had been captured alive and showed continued support for the "Don". A throng of people -- among them the elderly and the very young -- sang pro-Coke songs and made expletive-filled, anti-Bruce Golding comments as they marched through sections of the community.

"We love wi Prezi same way. No matter what dem do we nah let down Prezi!" shouted one woman, while referring to Coke by one of his aliases.

"A him turn in himself. A him a di real big man," shouted another.

"Him school nuff a wi and give nuff a we place to live and tek care of the homeless," said Kimoy.

Tivoli Gardens resident Ina Bernard was also "glad him go in alive because a kill dem did come fi kill him, eno".

Relief fi know say him safe and dem no kill him," said one woman requesting anonymity.

The pastor, Rev. Al Miller,  that Christopher Dudus Coke turned to for help in surrendering to the U.S. authorities, is now the subject of police interest. They have issued a request that Miller turn himself in for questioning -- with his lawyer.

Miller said Coke contacted him and requested his assistance to be taken to the U.S. Embassy in Kingston.

"I, therefore, made arrangements with his lawyers because he wanted to go ahead with the extradition process. So we communicated with the US Embassy, because that's where he said he would feel more comfortable," Miller told The Gleaner.

Miller was one of the unofficial mediators and was instrumental in getting Coke's brother, Leighton (also known as 'Livity'), and sister Sandra to turn themselves in to the police for questioning. Miller said Coke has faith in him.

"He trusts me. It's no different from the others. I have carried in a number of people in the last couple of weeks," he said.

Miller said he was not concerned that his link with one of the region's most dangerous fugitives might cause his reputation irreparable damage.

"They can say anything. It's what is facts, truth and what is right that matters," he said.

According to the Jamaica Observer Miller turned himself into the police for questioning. Whether or not he will face charges is unknown.

"We can only confirm that he has turned himself in. We are not prepared to say much more at this time," head of the Constabulary Communications Network, Inspector Steve Brown told the Observer.

Now that Coke is in custody authorities say that every effort is being made to present Coke "before a magistrate within 48 hours" of his capture to face proceedings.

For more background material on the Dudus controversy see the articles below:

Follow me on Twitter

If there was any doubt as to the power and influence of Christopher Dudus Coke --- who controls a section of Kingston, Jamaica, known as Tivoli Gardens --- that has been put to rest.

• Parts of Kingston are under a State of Emergency 
• Two police stations have been attacked 
• A third one, in Hannah Town, was set ablaze. 

Armed gunmen who were responsible for those unprovoked attacks on the police stations have been joined by many residents of the barricaded West Kingston community in declaring their support for Christopher Dudus Coke. The message to the security forces and the government was clear: Try to arrest "Dudus" and there will be all out war.

The unrest began after the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, declared that an arrest warrant had been issued for Christopher Dudus Coke who is being sought by U.S. authorities on gun-trafficking and drug charges. It took 9 months of procrastination by the government before the decision was finally made to grant the request for the extradition of Coke to the U.S. to face those charges.

In responding to the unrest and declaring a State of Emergency for parts of Kingston, the Prime Minister said security forces would be "moving swiftly to bring the current situation under control".

"Criminal elements bent on violence and mayhem will be detained," he said in a televised address.

"What is taking place is a calculated assault on the authority of the state that cannot be tolerated, and will not be allowed to continue."

Prime Minister Bruce Golding stressed that Kingston “is not being shut down,” and schools and businesses outside the battle zone will be open.

Police Commissioner Owen Ellington said “scores of criminals” from gangs across the Caribbean island had traveled to West Kingston to join the fight.

“It is now clear that criminal elements are determined to launch coordinated attacks on the security forces,” he said.

Police said the attacks were unprovoked and called for all “decent and law-abiding citizens” in the troubled areas to immediately evacuate their homes and said security forces would ferry them out safely.

While the U.S. sees Christopher Dudus Coke as a dangerous criminal involved in the international drug trade, in Tivoli Gardens he is a leader or "Don" who provides for the welfare of the community. Many see him as a benefactor who for many years has ensured their safety and is mainly responsible for sending their children to school and putting food on their tables.

Hundreds of residents of West Kingston took to the streets last week to voice their support for Dudus:

"After God, then Dudus," read one placard. "Jesus died for us so we will die for Dudus," read another, and these were not idle sentiments.

"Leave 'Dudus' alone. Him a law-abiding citizen," many of them shouted as they assembled outside the Denham Town Police Station.

Many of the supporters who came out in defense of Dudus were women who were very vocal in their praise of Coke's benevolence and said they were prepared to die for the man who is wanted by the U.S. as a dangerous criminal. An article in the Jamaica Observer explores the connection between the women and men of influence in their communities.

Christopher Dudus Coke himself has had very little to say. While the uproar in the streets continue and his lawyers fight the extradition order in the courts, he has kept a very low profile. According to the Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner: 

Dudus "is not one of those flashy dons who one sees at every dance or nightclub 'flossing' with bottles of high-priced liquor and scores of scantily dressed girls in his entourage."

He is also not one of those dons who crave the attention of the media while flaunting power.

"You know that I don't talk to the media," is the stock response from Dudus on the few occasions journalists have been able to get close enough to ask him questions. But make no mistake, Christopher Dudus Coke wields enormous power.

In another article The Gleaner takes a look at how the Prime Minister owes his position to Dudus. Without his approval Bruce Golding would not be the representative from West Kingston nor the Prime Minister.

"The power-sharing framework between the man who formally represents the West Kingston constituency in which Tivoli Gardens is located, and the man who really runs the place, is just as fascinating."

The article traces the history of the links between politics and the streets and where the real power resides. For more background material on the Dudus controversy see the articles below:

What happens next? Will the securities forces try to storm the barricaded Tivoli Gardens community? Will Christopher Dudus Coke give himself up? Will Bruce Golding be forced to resign as Prime Minister? No one really knows the answers. All we can do is hope that things don't get worse before they get better.....more to come.

UPDATE: Christopher Dudus Coke: Captured 

Follow me on Twitter

The government of Jamaica has decided to approve the request from the United States for the extradition of Christopher Dudus Coke on drugs and gun charges. The decision ends 9 months of tension between the two countries over the status of the request.

For a detailed history of the Christopher Dudus Coke controversy see the following articles:

• Christopher Dudus Coke: Wanted 
• Will Christopher Dudus Coke be Extradited 
• Christopher Dudus Coke: Still Wanted

In a speech televised to the Jamaican nation on May 17, 2010 the Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, said in part:

I crave your understanding, the government has never refused... never refused... the request for the extradition of Christopher Coke. It has simply asked the US authorities to provide additional information that would enable the Minister to issue the authorization in compliance with the terms of the treaty. In the controversy that has ensued, we sought the opinion of one of Jamaica's most eminent lawyers, Dr. Lloyd Barnett, who advised that the issues involved were not sufficiently settled in law, and therefore the Attorney-General should seek a declaration from the Court before exercising her authority.

I wrestled with the potential conflict between the issues of non-compliance with the terms of the treaty and the unavoidable perception that because Coke is associated with my constituency, the government's position was politically contrived. I felt that the concepts of fairness and justice should not be sacrificed in order to avoid that perception. In the final analysis, however, that must be weighed against the public mistrust that this matter has evoked and the destabilizing effect it is having on the nation's business. Accordingly, the Minister of Justice, in consideration of all the factors, will sign the authorization for the extradition process to commence.

Click here for a complete transcript of the speech

The very next morning Jamaica's Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne signed the extradition order and passed it to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewelyn who immediately secured the warrant for Coke's arrest from the court.

Senator Tom Tavares-Finson who had acted as Christopher Coke's lawyer, served notice that he will be withdrawing as Coke's attorney. He had been criticized publicly for defending Coke while at the same time holding a position in the government. He will be replaced by attorneys, Jacqueline Samuels Brown and Paul Beswick.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding had come under heavy criticism for his government's delay in signing the extradition request, which had been issued in August 2009. It was evident that his procrastination was a source of frustration for the American authorities which issued a scathing report on Jamaica's role in the international drug trade.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding also faced domestic pressure from the parliamentary opposition the People's National Party (PNP) and many other organizations which felt that he was doing everything he could to protect Christopher Dudus Coke for political reasons. Coke was not only a strong supporter of the Prime Minister's party, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), but was also in control of the Prime Minister's constituency of Tivoli Gardens where he (Coke) is regarded as a "Don" and is unanimously respected and beloved by the people who live there.

In fact, there lies a huge problem for the government if and when they attempt to execute the arrest warrant. There is bound to be civil unrest and quite possibly armed opposition from the people of Tivoli Gardens if the security forces attempt to take Christopher Dudus Coke into custody.

According to Reneto Adams, a retired senior superintendent of police, even if Coke could be taken into custody there would have to be massive security arrangements put in place:

"If he is arrested, the Government would have to deploy added security in key strategic places. You would also have to house him at Up Park Camp and certain routes on which he would be driving would have to be closed down. We are looking at an extensive operation because this man has great influence," said Adams.

"It will be a maximum security plan with all kinds of persons involved: people from the intelligence arena, people from the strike force, obviously some snipers will be in place," he added.

In the meantime residents of Tivoli Gardens are preparing for the worst. Upon hearing of the arrest warrant for Christopher Dudus Coke, Tivoli Gardens has been turned into a fortified community with roadblocks erected at all main entrance points. However there has been no signs of violence so far and after initial apprehension it appears as if businesses in the downtown area are open.....at least for now.

UPDATE: Jamaica declares State of Emergency!

Follow me on Twitter

An unidentified 22-year-old native American man from the Navajo Indian reservation was brutally attacked on April 29 by three white men: Jesse Sanford, 24, William Hatch, 28, and Paul Beebee, 26 in what prosecutors in Farmington, northwestern New Mexico, are calling a hate crime. The three were accused of kidnapping and branding the 22-year-old, mentally challenged man with a swastika.

"We'll explore every conceivable available avenue in charging them with a hate crime because what happened to the victim was so horribly wrong," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Sarah Weaver. "The U.S. Attorney's Office is very interested in taking the case."

Police believe the men heated a wire hanger fashioned in the shape of a swastika to burn the victim's flesh. The suspects are also accused of shaving a swastika symbol on the back of the 22-year-old victim's head and drawing degrading pictures and words on the man's body with red and black permanent markers, Farmington Police Sgt. Robert Perez said.

The words "White Power" were written on the back of the victim's neck and two horns were drawn with red marker on the victim's face above his eyebrows, an electric beard trimmer was used to shave the swastika into his hair. Video and photographs were also taken on a cellular phone to record the incident. Police took the victim to San Juan Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

Jesse Sanford, one of the accused men, told police that on April 29 the victim came into the McDonalds restaurant on East Main Street, where all three suspects work, looking for a place to stay. Sanford claimed the victim, who wanted a haircut and a tattoo, "wanted the swastika design because it was a tribal symbol," according to court records.

Investigators believe the victim was coerced into a vehicle and taken to an apartment on 28th Street where the attack occurred. After the incident they kicked the victim out of the residence and he went to the 7 to 11 convenience store at 710 E. 30th St., for assistance and a store clerk there called 911.

Police obtained search warrants to search the apartment and vehicle. They found evidence to suggest that the accused were white supremacists.

"We haven't identified this as a gang-related crime, that is still under investigation," Perez said. "But they appear to be associated in some fashion to the white supremacist movement."

Sanford was being held at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center for misdemeanor charges related to a motor vehicle crash at the time the warrants were issued. Beebe and Hatch were arrested Friday night. All three men were charged with: First-degree felony kidnapping, Second-degree felony conspiracy to commit kidnapping, Third-degree felony aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and Fourth-degree felony conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, according to Sgt. Robert Perez. Beebe also faces fourth-degree felony tampering with evidence. All three men are being held on a $150,000 cash-only bond.

The hate crime law in New Mexico results in a sentencing enhancement of one year for each charge. The suspects face 35.5 years in prison, including a mandatory 18 years for the first-degree felony kidnapping charges, if convicted of all the charges and the hate crime enhancement. Beebe faces an additional 18 months for the tampering with evidence charge. Federal charges may also be filed.

Follow me on Twitter

David Morales Colon, 22, of Puerto Rico died violently; he was shot to death in Barrio Obrero on April 22, 2010. However it was not his death that made him famous, it was his wake.  When friends and relatives came to Marin Funeral Home to pay their respects to the recently deceased young man they were greeted by his embalmed body on top of his motorcycle as if he were riding it.

David was dressed in a black cap, black sunglasses, long-sleeved black T-shirt with dark jeans and sneakers.

According to a spokesperson for the funeral home, the family of David Colon came and asked them to perform funeral services with David mounted on his motorcycle bent over as if he were racing. 

"We are like any other normal funeral home but at the same time we please our clients," she said.

There was no information on whether David would be buried with his motorcycle or even if he would be buried in a coffin.

This was the same funeral home that two years ago held services for another young man who died tragically - 24-year-old Angel Pantoja Medina. As requested he was presented standing up wearing a cap, dark glasses, a long gold chain and flowers in his left hand.

Below is a video clip from the Spanish language television station WAPA.TV in Puerto Rico covering the David Morales Colon wake:

Follow me on Twitter

According to the TV production company Europroduzione, He Pingping - known as the shortest man in the world - died Saturday March 13, 2010. He was in Italy filming a television program called The Record Show. He had already filmed two episodes of the program when he complained of feeling sick:

"He started to feel slightly ill and we decided to take him to hospital. He entered hospital two weeks ago and had all kinds of tests, being a very special person he had to go though all sorts of tests. He went into intensive care three days after he was admitted," said Marco Fernandez de Araoz, communications director for Europroduzione.

He said that Mr He died on Saturday afternoon and, at the request of his family, his body would be returned to China to be buried.

He Pingping was born in July 1988 in the city of Wulanchabu (also called Ulanqab) in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. From birth He suffered from a form of Primordial Dwarfism. He stood 5ft 2in tall and weighed only 16lbs. Read more about He Pingping here and check out some pics here.

In 2008 the Guinness World Records named He Pingping the world's shortest, non-disabled, man. Guinness World Records said he had made a "huge impact around the world".

"From the moment I laid on eyes on him I knew he was someone special - he had such a cheeky smile and mischievous personality, you couldn't help but be charmed by him. He brightened up the lives of everyone he met and was an inspiration to anyone considered different or unusual." said Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records editor-in-chief.  "For such a small man, he made a huge impact around the world," he added. 

He Pingping's sister, He Lihua, said that the family had never anticipated such bad news, since He had no prior health issues. She also said that the entire Batou village, where He was born, was saddened to learn of his passing. She did however say that lately He had become homesick and used to call her frequently complaining that he wasn’t able to eat too well. In the clip below He is seen helping out at his sister's restaurant.

RIP - He Pingping

Follow me on Twitter