An elderly woman in Zigong, Sichuan province, was sentenced to six months in jail with a one-year reprieve for unintentionally killing her granddaughter when she used pesticide to get rid of lice in the girl's hair.

The girl, who complained of itchiness on her scalp and was afraid of being mocked by her classmates, asked her grandmother to kill the bugs in August, 2012, the West China Metropolis Daily reported.

The grandmother bought the pesticide thimet, mixed it with alcohol to boost the effect and applied the mixture on the girl's head on Aug 25.

The girl went to bed without washing her hair and felt headaches and stomachaches the next morning. She was rushed to hospital where she died.

The girl, whose father works out of town, was living with her grandmother.