Woman who abducted child 33 years ago will not be prosecuted despite biological parents’ call for justice
- Prosecutors said the length of time since the crime occurred meant they were unable to take legal action
- The family of the boy are pressing for legal action, but the boy, now aged 33, does not want any action taken
Prosecutors in southwestern China have said they will not charge a woman who allegedly abducted a boy 33 years ago and then raised him as her own child because of the length of time that has passed.
The decision came despite repeated calls from the victim’s biological family for legal action against her, news portal Thepaper reports.
The victim, identified by the pseudonym Cao Ping, was abducted by the woman surnamed Qin in 1988 when he was five months old. Qin was employed by the boy’s family as a domestic helper and abducted him on her second day of work, according to Cao Ying, Cao Ping’s younger sister.
His parents have been searching for him ever since he was taken. Thanks to the national DNA database, police in Guilin, Guangxi, were able to locate Cao Ping. He met with his biological parents in June last year.
But Cao, who is married and has a child, does not feel close to his original family, he said. He has resisted the idea of suing his “adoptive” mother as he said he feels grateful to her for raising him.
“Whatever we did to show our kindness to him or to compensate him, he won’t accept it,” his sister said. “He quarrelled with us, cursing my parents.”
The prosecuting authority in Xiangshan District of Guilin told the family in April of this year that Qin would not be charged because the crime happened at a time earlier than the allowable prosecution period after the crime occurred.
China’s statute of limitations in child abduction cases is 10 years from the date of the offence.
Cao Ying said her family did not accept this and demanded Qin answer for her crime in court, the report said.
“So far she has not made an apology or offered any compensation to us. She has brought huge damage to us and is continuing to hurt us. Therefore, we think it is still in the prosecution period,” she said.
Earlier this month, Guilin Municipal Procuratorate rejected Cao Ying’s family’s appeal.
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An official from the authority said they made this decision after checking previous cases and regulations and weighing the pros and cons, reported The Paper.
“We’ve attached high importance to it. Our reply was made prudently, not carelessly,” the official, whose name was not released in the report, said.
Cao Ying said the family would appeal the decision not to prosecute Qin.
“It is the pain in my parents’ heart,” said Cao Ying.
Guo’s story was the inspiration for the film Lost and Love, in which Hong Kong actor Andy Lau starred.
