Four schoolgirls filmed taunting and slapping a 13-year-old girl in a park in eastern China apologised to their victim after a viral video of the incident prompted police to intervene, Chinese media reported. The parents of the two 12-year-olds and two 13-year-olds were made to pay compensation, a police spokesman in Yixing, Jiangsu province, said on Wednesday. In footage published by state news outlets People.cn and CCTV.com, the victim is seen kneeling and sobbing in front of the bullies while saying “I am wrong”. One girl was seen repeatedly slapping the teenager’s face, asking “What’s wrong with you?” and “Do you dare to do this again?” Two of the bullies were seen pointing fingers at the girl’s face, demanding she hold back her tears. “Do you need me to call the police?” one says. “They cannot find me even if you call the police.” On Monday, Yixing police said in an online statement that four suspects, accompanied by their guardians, were questioned about the events in the video. Chinese boy, 10, stabbed to death at school after classroom scuffle with his alleged killer’s daughter The victim had not told her family she had been bullied, it said. The police spokesman said the four girls used to be “close friends” with their victim but recently had a conflict regarding their school life. “They were scared when they were taken to the police station, not as cocky as they appeared in the video,” he said. Under Article 17 of China’s criminal code, children aged under 14 cannot be held criminally responsible for any offence, but under civil codes, parents or guardians may be held responsible for the misconduct of a minor. During this year’s annual meetings of the country’s main political bodies, 30 representatives proposed lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility for minors to 12. Chinese girl, 6, beaten to death with plank while playing with cousin Tuo Qinming, a representative and president of a middle school in Chengdu, southwestern Sichuan province, suggested establishing a justice system for juveniles independent from that of adults. Killings involving children aged under 14 continue to fuel a national debate. Last week, authorities in northwestern Ningxia Hui autonomous region said there would be no action against a 12-year-old boy who this month beat his six-year-old cousin to death with a plank. In May, a 10-year-old boy, who had allegedly scuffled with a classmate in eastern Jiangxi province, was fatally wounded by the girl’s 41-year-old father.