Taiwan judo coach jailed for killing boy, 7, by throwing him on floor 27 times

Agencies | Taipei City                             

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A Taiwanese judo coach who killed a seven-year-old pupil by repeatedly throwing him to the floor was sentenced to nine years in prison on Wednesday, prompting the boy's parents to demand a harsher punishment.

The child, identified only by his family name Huang, was rushed to a hospital in central Taichung city in April after he was reportedly thrown 27 times by his coach Ho Tsung-le.

He remained in a coma for 70 days with brain haemorrhages and developed respiratory problems as well as multiple organ failure before his parents decided to take him off life support.

The Taichung district court on Wednesday handed down a nine-year prison sentence, saying Ho forced the boy to obey his instructions and "neglected the possibility that (the instructions) could lead to death".

But the boy's parents vowed to appeal the "light" sentencing and said the coach has never shown any remorse.

"I think it's too light, it should be a life for a life. His attitude is really terrible. He's never admitted to any wrongdoing and blamed it on my child," the boy's father told reporters.

According to a court statement, Ho instructed the boy to practise throwing with a much more experienced classmate, despite knowing that he was unfamiliar with basic judo movements.

After Huang resisted the orders and said "the coach is a big idiot", Ho used multiple throwing techniques on the child, including a shoulder throw.

When the boy complained of a bad headache, the coach said he was "faking it" and went on to throw him a dozen more times, causing him to vomit, the statement said.

After getting other pupils to clean the vomit from the floor, Ho continued to throw the child a few more times until he collapsed completely on the floor, it added.

The boy's uncle reportedly attended the class but failed to stop the coach.

Local media cited the boy's family as saying he was thrown about 27 times. The court statement said his head repeatedly hit the floor but did not specify how many times.

"He carried out the extremely inappropriate training measures that caused Huang to sustain injuries and unfortunately die at a young age," the court said.