Fujian high court retries father in girl's torture death

The father of a 12-year-old girl who died of abuse at the hands of her stepmother has had his prison sentence increased from five and a half years to thirteen years and six months following a retrial, which found his original sentence "manifestly too light".

In a retrial verdict given on Tuesday, the Fujian High People's Court found that the father, Liu Jiang, was an accomplice to his wife, Xu Jinhua, in the intentional injury and abuse that led to his daughter's death. His culpability as a legal guardian who failed to protect his child was determined to warrant a harsher punishment.

The case has drawn significant public attention and outrage.

According to court findings, in December 2023, the stepmother, Xu, tied the girl in the bathroom and tortured her for 17 days. Liu, aware of the abuse, ignored it and helped Xu buy 1,600 laxative pills for the girl. During the confinement, Xu sent photos of the girl to Liu via WeChat, who supported her actions without rescuing?the girl.

In an initial trial in April, the Putian Intermediate People's Court sentenced the stepmother Xu to death for intentional homicide and abuse. The father, Liu, received a five-year and six-month sentence for intentional injury and abuse.

The High People's Court upheld the stepmother's death sentence in a second-instance ruling in November, but flagged the father's sentence as disproportionately light and initiated a supervisory review process, leading to the retrial.

The High People's Court said that Liu, despite being the victim's legal guardian, failed in his duties, actively participated in some abuse, and deliberately indulged or ignored the stepmother's actions. It concluded his actions violated social morality and human decency, necessitating a severe penalty.