Hitman jailed along with four other hitmen who hired each other to hit same man

The final hitman was insulted by how much money he had been offered so told on everyone. Photo / Nanning Intermediate People's Court

Five Chinese hitmen have been jailed for the same attempted murder, after each one of them avoided carrying out the crime themselves and hired another one so they could make a profit.

Tan Youhui, a Chinese businessman, was looking to take out a competitor, Wei Mou, so hired a hitman to do the job.

He offered to pay the hitman around NZ$440,000.

The hitman who was originally hired decided to offer the deal to another hitman, for half the price.

The second hitman subcontacted a third hitman who then hired a fourth who passed the job on to a fifth.

The fifth hitman was so upset by how much the payment had dropped by the time it got to him that he told the target to fake his own death.

This led to police finding out the plot, according to Beijing News.

Both the businessman and the five hitmen were jailed and convicted of attempted murder.

The trial lasted three years.

Tan Youhui, who hired the original hitman, was jailed for five years. The first hitman was sentenced to three years and six months in jail.

The second and third hitman received a jail sentence of three years and three months, while the fourth hitman received a three-year sentence and the fifth one was jailed for two years and seven months.