Beijing, May 31 - A man in China has been sentenced to three years in jail for helping his paralysed mother kill herself by consuming pesticide, a court said.

The 73-year-old woman was suffering from hemiplegia, total or partial paralysis of one side of the body, for 20 years.

Deng Mingjian, 41, a migrant worker, was sentenced to three years in jail with a reprieve period of four years for intentional homicide, Xinhua quoted a Chinese court as saying.

Since Deng was viewed as a "filial son" and took care of his mother for decades, his neighbours and relatives urged the court for a lenient punishment.

The court considered Deng's guilty plea and public's appeals in making its ruling.