In a landmark ruling that has captured national attention, the Fujian High People’s Court has dramatically increased the prison sentence of a father complicit in his daughter’s torture death from five and a half years to thirteen years and six months. The retrial verdict, delivered on Tuesday, determined that Liu Jiang’s original punishment was “manifestly too light” given his role as both legal guardian and accomplice in the abuse that led to his 12-year-old daughter’s death.
The court established that Liu acted as an active participant in the systematic abuse perpetrated by his wife, Xu Jinhua, who was previously sentenced to death for intentional homicide and abuse. According to judicial findings, the stepmother subjected the child to 17 days of confinement and torture in a bathroom in December 2023, while Liu not only ignored the ongoing abuse but facilitated it by purchasing 1,600 laxative pills for the girl. Evidence presented during trial included WeChat messages in which Xu sent photos of the abused girl to Liu, who expressed support for these actions rather than intervening to rescue his daughter.
The High People’s Court emphasized that Liu’s dual failure—both as a parent who neglected his protective duties and as an active participant in the abuse—represented a severe violation of social morality and human decency. While upholding Xu’s death sentence in a November ruling, the court had separately flagged the disproportionate leniency in Liu’s initial sentencing, initiating a supervisory review process that culminated in this retrial.
The case has sparked widespread public outrage and intensified scrutiny over legal protections for minors in China, particularly regarding guardian accountability in abuse cases. The revised sentencing sets a significant judicial precedent for holding negligent parents criminally responsible when they enable or participate in child abuse.