A Chinese man has been sentenced to death for killing a two-month-old baby after stealing a car with the infant inside. Zhou Xijun took the vehicle in March after spotting it parked on the roadside with the engine still running.

When he realised the baby was on the back seat of the vehicle, he strangled the child and buried the body in the snow. The case caused national and international outrage.

The baby's parents had parked the car for a few minutes while they went into a shop but left the doors unlocked, State media reported at the time.

When they realised the vehicle had gone with their baby inside, they sparked a frantic search involving thousands of police and the public. Zhou turned himself in to police a day later and reportedly confessed.

The South China Morning Post said at the time that the baby's mother suffered a heart attack on hearing of the killing and needed medical help.

Police in the province of Jilin have now confirmed that the 48-year-old has been "deprived of his political rights for life". However, the verdict is subject to a review by the Supreme Court.

About 4,000 people are executed every year in China - half the number sentenced to death in 2007, according to US human rights group the Duihua Foundation.