ZHONGSHAN, China, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- A trial in China was held with everyone involved wearing medical masks because a one defendant is a leprosy patient who refused treatment, the court said.
When the Zhongshan Municipal Intermediate People's Court heard the robbery and murder trial Nov. 29, the 4-hour trial was conducted with judges, defendants, lawyers and the audience all wearing facial masks, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.
The court said one unidentified defendant was a leprosy patient. He and three others were accused of robbing and killing two taxi drivers in Guangdong and Yunnan provinces in 2012.
A verdict has not yet been handed down.
Leprosy is a contagious skin disease that can cause disability by damaging skin and nerves. The court asked that medical staff be present at the trial, and to disinfect the court facilities, Xinhua said.
