Chinese man who lived with mentally disabled woman for 13 years and raised four children, is charged with rape

An impoverished Chinese man has been charged for raping a mentally challenged woman whom he has lived with in a de facto marriage for 13 years and fathered her four children, a news website reported.

Liu Huaji, 48, had sex with the woman while knowing she was mentally disabled, which could constitute rape, prosecutors in Anhui province argued.

After his arrest in May, the woman was transferred to a nearby mental health institute and their four children were sent to a welfare centre, the Shanghai-based new outlet Thepaper.cn reported.

Liu’s lawyer Kang Shirao said his client posed no danger to society and had been a guardian for the woman and their children.

Liu, a poor and lonesome man from Liuzhu village in Woyang County, met then woman in a curious encounter in Shanghai 13 years ago. She had approached Liu on the street and grabbed hold of his leg. After offering her a bun to eat, she followed him uninvited all the way back to his home village.

Liu, was single and too poor to afford a decent wedding, decided to take her as his wife, Kang quoted Liu as saying.