A man who has served 17 years of a life sentence in prison for the murder of his wife has been acquitted and released.

The High People's Court of Anhui province overturned the conviction of 51-year-old Yu Yingsheng on Tuesday, more than 17 years after his wife Han Lu was killed at their home in December 1996.

Yu had been prosecuted by the People's Procuratorate of Bengbu and sentenced to life in prison by the Intermediate People's Court of Bengbu. The verdict was upheld by the provincial high court.