Chinese stepmother ‘beat boy, 6, with bamboo sticks and rope, leaving him in coma’
- Woman faces court in northwest China, charged with intentional assault and maltreatment in case that shocked the nation
- Crowdfunding is paying for hospital care for the boy, whose father doesn’t visit and mother rarely sees him, according to nurse
A woman accused of repeatedly beating her six-year-old stepson with bamboo sticks and rope and tying him up with wire, leaving the boy in a vegetative state, has gone on trial in northwest China.
The woman faced Linwei District Court in Weinan, Shaanxi province on Tuesday, charged with two counts of intentional assault and maltreatment, Thepaper.cn reported. If convicted, she could be jailed for up to 20 years.
The case shocked the nation when it was revealed in March last year that the boy, who is now seven and was nicknamed Peng Peng by Chinese media, had been beaten so badly he was in a coma in hospital, with extensive head injuries.
Doctors told media at the time that three-quarters of his skull had been fractured, causing multiple brain haemorrhages. He also had broken ribs, permanently damaged eyesight, missing front teeth and skin ulcers.
Police investigators said the boy’s injuries were the result of his stepmother’s violent physical abuse.
At the time, the boy was living with his father, who had divorced in December 2015 and remarried in October 2016. After an investigation, the boy’s stepmother was detained and then formally arrested in May last year.