A 27-year-old man in Taichung suspected of beating his infant son to death was detained and held incommunicado by prosecutors yesterday.
The suspect, surnamed Liao (廖), is being investigated under the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法) and for offenses under the Criminal Code, including causing bodily harm and child abuse that resulted in death, the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office said.
The case was reported to authorities by a local hospital on Thursday afternoon, when a 9-month-old child was brought in for emergency attention due to cardiac arrest, the city’s third police precinct said.
.Photo: Chen Chien-chi, Taipei Times
The boy was found with bruises and subsequently pronounced dead after efforts to resuscitate him failed, police said.
Liao and his 23-year-old girlfriend, surnamed Kan (甘), the infant’s mother, were questioned regarding the matter. Both said that their son had suffocated after sleeping on his belly.
When officers showed them evidence of their son’s physical injuries, the father admitted to using his hands and a toy to beat him, because of his continuous crying, police said.
The parents only called for medical help when they found the boy had stopped breathing, police said.
After initial police questioning, the precinct said the case was later handed over to prosecutors for further investigation.
Due to the severity of the crime, prosecutors said they filed a motion with the court on Friday to have Liao detained and held incommunicado.
Permission for the latter was granted early yesterday morning.
However, the mother was released after being questioned by prosecutors.
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