The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the High Court’s 14-and-a-half-year jail sentence for a man surnamed Wang (王) who allegedly abused and killed his three-year-old son in March 2021.
A man surnamed Hsu (許), who lived with the father and son, is to spend three years in prison for abusing a minor, court documents said.
The court dismissed an earlier appeal by Wang, meaning that its verdict was final, it said.
Wang’s sentence was calculated based on Article 286 of the Criminal Code, which stipulates that a person who abuses a child under the age of 18 to the extent that it results in their death should face either life imprisonment or a sentence of at least 10 years.
According to court documents, Wang and Hsu beat the child using their hands and implements in early March 2021. They allegedly forced the child’s hands into boiling water and used pliers on his genitals, which left the boy with 31 injuries over his body.
The verdict said it was believed that Wang struck the child on the head at some point between March 10 and 13, leading to the child falling unconscious.
Wang and Hsu took him to a hospital at about 7pm or 8pm on March 13, and the boy remained in a coma until April 19 when he died from brain injuries, the document said.
Wang and Hsu told police and prosecutors that they had disciplined the child for misbehaving and wetting the bed, the verdict said.
Wang’s sentence had been extended because in the past five years he had also finished serving a jail sentence of seven years and two months, classifying him as a habitual offender, it said.
Hsu, who was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison by the Pingtung District Court, had his jail time reduced to three years by the High Court, as his abuse of the boy had not directly led to his death, the verdict said.
He did not appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
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