Mick Hartley

Here’s another mysterious new syndrome for our times:

A Chinese judge charged with corruption died in his cell from “adult sudden death syndrome”, the country’s main news agency reported yesterday.

Cuts on his face and other injuries “were caused by a fall during an escape attempt”.

Li Chaoyang, 38, had been arrested on 23 March, in Guangxi Zhuang, south-western China, accused of taking bribes.

Investigators said that he had been unco-operative while in detention. But Shi Shaosen, the chief investigator in the case, said the prisoner had not been maltreated.

“Li Chaoyang’s sudden death conforms with adult sudden death syndrome,” said Mr Shi.

Li’s relatives, who have questioned the cause of his death, claimed there were wounds on his body, a gash across his lip and that one of his front teeth was missing.

It wouldn’t surprise me if we saw a dramatic rise in ASDS – a result of the increased stress felt by the Chinese in the run up to the 2008 Olympics.