A man in Chengdu, Sichuan province, received a 10 and a half year sentence for posing as a policeman and robbing a woman of more than 100,000 yuan ($16,390), Sichuan Daily reported.
Qin Liang, 26, spent all of his savings on his father's medical expenses. His father, who suffered from lung cancer, died at the end of last year.
His younger sister passed the national college entrance examination last year and needed money to attend a university.
In addition, his girlfriend said that he needed to buy an apartment before they got married.
According to Sichuan Daily, the mounting pressure caused Qin to pose as a policeman and rob the woman.
He purchased an alarm lamp and handcuffs used by police and pretended to be a policeman on duty on a road in the Wuhou district of Chengdu on Jan 25.
He stopped the car of a woman surnamed Wu and robbed her of 106,000 yuan. He spent almost all of the money on an apartment.
In the trial held on Wednesday, he bowed three times in the hope of being forgiven by Wu and his own mother.