Four defendants sentenced in infant kidnapping case

The Tai'an Intermediate People's Court in Shandong province handed down sentences on Friday for four defendants in a child trafficking case, with two receiving life imprisonment and one the death penalty. The case included an incidental civil lawsuit.

The court also lawfully supported the claim of the civil plaintiffs, surnamed Jiang and Qiao, awarding a compensation of 200,000 yuan ($28,120). Jiang and Qiao are the parents of the victim.

In October 2006, defendant Lyu told defendant Yuan that he wanted to steal a baby boy for the sake of human trafficking and asked for help with the promise of payment. Yuan tipped Lyu off that a villager surnamed Jiang had just had a boy.

On Dec 4 of that year, Lyu teamed up with defendants Zeng and Wang and climbed into Jiang's home. Zeng and Wang used violence and threats to subdue the victim's grandparents, while Lyu entered the bedroom and kidnapped Jiang's son, the 8-month-old victim.

The following day, Zeng introduced Lyu to a couple. Lyu impersonated the child's father and sold him to the couple for 28,600 yuan in cash. He then divided the money with Zeng and Lyu.

According to a statement released by the court, Zeng was found to have the most serious criminal intention and behavior. Due to these factors and his reluctance to admit his crimes, he was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal property for the crime of child trafficking.

Lyu and Wang, who truthfully confessed their crimes, were sentenced to life imprisonment, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal property.

The defendant surnamed Yuan, who provided the traffickers with information about the victims, was sentenced to 15 years of fixed-term imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 yuan.

During the trial, the court lawfully protected the litigation rights of the defendants, victims, and other participants in the proceedings. More than 50 people, including the defendants' and victims' relatives, reporters, and members of the public, attended the announcement of the judgment.