A man in Kaohsiung who physically abused his one-year-old infant son to the extent that he was left partially paralyzed has been sentenced to jail for eight years and 10 months, the Kaohsiung District Court announced on Saturday.
The 23-year-old father, identified only by his last name, Wu (吳), was found guilty of causing serious injury to a minor, the court said, adding that the infant’s brain injury was so serious it had paralyzed the left side of his body.
During the hearing, Wu said he did not know any better because he received the same kind of physical abuse when he was growing up.
Photo: Taipei Times
Although the father expressed remorse multiple times, the court said his actions had already caused irreparable damage to the infant, and that he blatantly lacked empathy. He chose to pick on someone weaker than himself, the court said, adding that it believed the man would repeat the same behavior in the future.
Wu rents an apartment, and used to run an online goods store, the court said. He worked at night and slept during the day, often complaining of sleep deprivation because his son would keep him awake.
He began forcing his son to stand at attention in August last year, but the punishments later intensified, and he began whipping the boy’s legs with a plastic rod, or would burn him with a cigarette butt, the court said.
If the child cried, Wu would strike his head, or other parts of the body, which often led to bruising, court documents said.
On Nov. 10 last year, when the infant was one, he was rushed to hospital by his father and mother after a brutal beating that caused brain and retinal hemorrhaging, fractures and multiple bruises on his head, the court said.
The boy was discharged on Dec. 13 after his condition improved and the incident was reported by the hospital to the police.
After questioning the man, the case was handed over to Kaohsiung prosecutors, who, following an investigation, indicted Wu for attempted homicide and for impairing the physical and mental development of a young child.
The child’s mother was not indicted by the prosecutors.
The boy’s brain injury caused left hemiplegia — paralysis in the left side of the body — and developmental delays that would require him to receive intensive physical, functional and speech therapy.
In the long run, the infant could suffer from long-term disabilities, such as epilepsy, the court added.
However, the case can still be appealed.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS