Principal arrested in China after allegedly beating boy, 7, so severely he later died in hospital from brain damage
- The early education centre principal initially tried to cover up the alleged assault by claiming the boy had ‘fallen’ down some stairs
- Witnesses said she started the assault by slapping the boy’s face so hard his nose began bleeding instantly
A seven-year-old boy in China has died from brain injuries after allegedly being beaten by the principal of an early education centre for breaking a no-running rule.
Police in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in southern China, said earlier this week that the female principal, surnamed Wang, had been arrested over the boy’s death.
On May 25, Wang allegedly assaulted the boy, surnamed Huang, who was taken to The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University that afternoon and diagnosed with severe brain damage.
The boy’s mother, surnamed Zhang, said when the education centre called her they claimed the boy’s injuries were the result of an accidental fall down some stairs, Shangyou News reported.
However, doctors treating the boy who was diagnosed with 12 specific injuries; including subdural haemorrhage, cerebral herniation and haemorrhagic shock, were suspicious about the explanation and urged his mother to call police.
Police interviewed the principal and also four other teachers, who told them that the boy broke the centre’s rules by running out of his classroom during break time and was caught by Wang. The other teachers said Wang initially slapped the boy on his face so hard his nose began bleeding instantly.
The attack continued with Wang beating the boy until he lost consciousness, said the four witnesses. Wang did not call for an ambulance but instead told a staffer to hail a taxi to take the boy to the hospital.