China father becomes lawyer to get justice for son, 11, who leapt to his death after being verbally abused by teacher
- Grieving father gives up job as traffic police officer, learns law to fight case of dead son
- Joins forces with wife to help other families who suffer similar loss
A grieving father in China who gave up his job as a traffic police officer to become a lawyer so he could fight the case of his son who took his own life after being abused by a teacher has moved many people on mainland social media.
Zhang Dingjie and his wife Wang Beilei have been fighting for justice for their only son, Zhang Kuan, for the past two years.
The 11-year-old took his own life by jumping off the roof of a 24-floor storey building opposite his primary school, in eastern China’s Jiangxi province, on November 9, 2021.
The youngster had left a note which said: “My death has nothing to do with my parents, society or the country. It is only relevant to Zou, who used violent measures.”
Zou was Zhang’s teacher and was in charge of his class.
Shortly after their son’s death, the couple checked surveillance video from the school and discovered Zou repeatedly abused their son verbally in front of the class on the day he died.
Prior to the tragedy, Zou had accused Zhang of lying because he had not handed in a test paper which he had never received.
The teacher also embarrassed the youngster by asking him how poor he was because there was a ripped page in his notebook.
Zhang senior said his son became upset and began looking at the high-rise building outside the classroom window.
The tragic child’s father said Zou had suggested multiple times that her students “should just jump off the building opposite the school”, an accusation Zou has denied.
The father collected evidence and became a lawyer to launch a criminal lawsuit against the teacher .
Zou, who was removed from her teaching position two months after the boy’s death, was acquitted in the first trial in August 2023, but equipment problems meant that the hearing did not see the surveillance video evidence.
Zhang senior took the teacher back to court in November last year and is waiting for a verdict.
Since becoming a lawyer, the father has been giving legal help to other parents who lost their children in similar situations, earning praise on mainland social media.
His wife, who is a psychological counsellor, has also offered free services to nearly 100 families like hers.
“Since our son’s death, protecting all the other children like him has become our mission,” the couple said.
