Father in China accidentally kills son with ‘samurai’ sword over low academic scores
By Ryan General
February 15, 2023
A man in China has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after accidentally killing his teenage son with a sword last year.
Yang Junming, a single parent from Youxian district in the southwest province of Sichuan, was found guilty of assault by the local district court in a verdict handed down on June 25, 2022, but only reported by local media on Feb. 7, 2023.
The incident took place in their rental home on Jan. 7, 2022, after Yang got into an argument with his son after learning from the student’s teacher about his low academic scores, including a grade of 18 out of 100 in physical education.
The father reportedly lost his temper and grabbed a 3-foot ornamental sword off a nearby table, poking his son in his left lower back.
The boy also sustained a 10 centimeter-long (approximately 4 inches) cut on his waist, according to the South China Morning Post.
Yang would later tell authorities that he just wanted to scare the boy, lamenting that he “did the worst thing out of the best motivation.”
In CCTV footage shown on local media, Yang can be seen carrying his injured son down the stairs of their home while waiting for an ambulance. A recording of his call to emergency services captured Yang saying, “I hurt him. He’s hurt.”
The teenager was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a few hours later due to blood loss.
The samurai sword-like blade was presented as evidence during the hearing last year at Mianyang Youxian People’s Court.
Prosecutors accused Yang of previously using the weapon to threaten his son multiple times. According to Yang, he purchased the sword for decorative purposes, not to hurt his son.
Results of forensic tests showed the boy had other, older injuries that indicated he had been physically harmed numerous times before his death.
Yang remained single after he was divorced by his wife several years ago due to his alleged cheating. He told the court that he had high expectations for his son, whom he raised by himself.
“It is the opinion of this court that defendant Yang Junming did knowingly cause bodily harm to another, resulting in death,” read the court’s official verdict.
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