A child who is only two years old and has no ability to escape.
In February 2025, a serious child abuse case occurred in Tucheng, New Taipei City.
The murdered boy was only 2 years old and completely relied on adults for care and protection. However, the home that is supposed to be a safe place for children ends up being a place where harm occurs.
According to public information related to the first-instance judgment, the man surnamed Wu is the husband of the boy’s biological mother, the woman surnamed Chen. The court found that Mr. Wu had repeatedly burned the boy's chest and left arm with burning cigarettes at his residence in Tucheng; on the evening of February 17, 2025, he repeatedly slapped and kicked the boy, and twice grabbed the child's feet, making him stand upside down, shaken and then fell to the bed.
These violence caused serious injuries such as subdural hemorrhage on the boy's left side, bilateral retinal hemorrhage and convulsions.
That night, the child had obvious abnormalities
The court found that during the violence, the biological mother surnamed Chen heard the child crying and screaming.
Later, she saw bruises on the boy's forehead, as well as abnormal symptoms such as his face turning pale and his eyes unable to focus, but she did not immediately seek medical attention or seek help.
two bottles of milk
At about 9 a.m. on February 18, 2025, two adults went out to work separately.
According to reports related to the first-instance verdict, the biological mother left two bottles of milk at home, and then left the two-year-old boy, who was already seriously injured, alone in the residence.
The child was left alone at home for about 12 hours.
It wasn't until the two returned home that night that they discovered that the boy had turned blue, continued to twitch, and was unresponsive to calls. It was only at this time that the child was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment.
It was supposed to represent the most basic feeding and care for a young child; but in this case, it became something that adults left behind when a two-year-old child who was seriously injured and unable to call for help was left alone at home.
Rescue still cannot save life
After the boy was sent to the hospital, medical staff found that he had multiple old and new injuries, and the case was investigated by the police, social affairs and justice. When the case first occurred, the police investigated the case in the direction of child protection, domestic violence and criminal crimes.
The boy was hospitalized with serious brain injuries. After more than 20 days of rescue, he still could not recover.
A life of only two years old stopped here.
First instance: Citizen Judges participate in the trial
After the case is prosecuted by the prosecutor, it will be heard by the New Taipei District Court in Taiwan under the Citizen Judge system. On March 6, 2026, the First Instance verdict was announced.
life sentence
Deprived of public power for lifeThe court evaluates crimes involving adults who intentionally inflict harm on children and seriously injure them to Death. When sentencing, the collegial panel not only considered the method of violence in this case and the fact that the Victim was only a two-year-old child, but also considered Mr. Wu's past criminal records and his behavioral record in custody.
The court held that the murdered boy had no grudge against Mr. Wu, but he was subjected to repeated violence and his rights to life and health were seriously violated.
19 years in prison
Abandoning someone to Death in violation of lawThe court found that she knew that the child had serious abnormalities and had thought of sending her to a doctor, but gave up because of Mr. Wu's objection. The injured child was still left alone at home the next day. It was not until he returned home in the evening that he found that the child had lost normal reactions and sent him to the hospital for emergency treatment.
The court also considered the restorative justice process that Chen had with the boy's grandfather when sentencing.
Second trial: Both defendants appeal against sentencing
After the first-instance verdict, both Wu and Chen appealed.
On June 25, 2026, the Taiwan High Court held a hearing. Both defendants stated in court that they did not dispute the criminal facts and charges found in the First Instance, and the focus of the appeal was mainly on "whether the sentence of the First Instance was too harsh."
Mr. Wu claimed that the First Instance did not conduct a pre-sentencing social investigation, and hoped that the second instance would re-conduct relevant sentencing investigations and strive for a lighter sentence accordingly.
Ms. Chen claimed that she had reflected on her crime and had filed a divorce lawsuit with the court. At the same time, she applied to the prison to reject the letters and items sent by Mr. Wu, hoping that this would be used as a consideration for post-offender attitude and sentencing.
The High Court also informed that the case would be resumed on August 6, 2026. This case is still in the second instance judicial process.
HEARING RECORD · 2026.08.06Read 8/6 Court observation notes of the second trial preparation processSentencing, new evidence, defendant’s statements and detention and other key points in the trial →Why are we recording this case?
This is not a “what the abuser did” story.
The more important question is: When a two-year-old child has no ability to escape, no cell phone, no ability to call the police, and no ability to clearly describe to the outside world what is happening to him, who should be his last line of defense?
The biggest difference between children and adults is that they do not have the ability to leave dangerous environments. Especially two-year-olds.
He must rely on his caregiver to eat, drink, seek medical attention, leave his home, and even seek help from other adults.
Therefore, for young children,
When adults choose to "do nothing", sometimes it may also bring irreversible consequences.
We don't want to remember him with scars
We chose two bottles of milk, a child's shoes, toys and a faint light as the artistic image of this case.
Not to glorify Death, nor to consume a child's pain.
What we want everyone to remember is: this was a real child.
But none of this has a chance to happen.
In his final moments, only two bottles of milk remained by his side.
Two bottles of milk originally represented care. In this case, it became a symbol of a child being left behind.
We are documenting this trial not just to await punishment. I hope that after every child abuse case, society can continue to ask:
- Did anyone have the opportunity to see the injury before it occurred?
- Is it possible to intervene earlier when a child has abnormalities?
- How does the system allow children to still have another way to survive when the primary caregiver themselves is a source of danger?
I hope that for the next child, someone will reach out to catch it before any harm occurs.
Case records｜Judicial audit｜Children’s protection initiative