BEIJING police are considering whether to prosecute bad boy author Wang Shuo, after he declared during an interview on a Phoenix TV talk show that he takes drugs and visits prostitutes.

The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau on March 8 announced that Wang will become liable for prosecution if his shock admission on the “Qiangqiang San Ren Xing” talk show a few days ago is found to be true.

Wang, who is known for bitterly criticizing others in public, triggered a heated online debate with his remarks, with many Internet users accusing him of losing his mind.

“If the case is so serious, he will suffer the consequences under the Criminal Law. If not so serious, he will be prosecuted under the Security Management Law,” a Beijing police officer said. But he did not elaborate on what the criteria for seriousness are.

Hao Junbo, a lawyer with Lehman, Lee & Xu in Beijing, says Wang is likely to be sentenced to 10 to 15 days behind bars for his contact with prostitutes. He is also likely to be fined up to 5,000 yuan (US$646).

“It is possible Wang will be punished under the Criminal Law if his drug possession reaches the standard set in the law,” Hao said. (SD-Agencies)