Woman, 61, sentenced to death in China for abducting & trafficking 17 children

A 61-year-old woman in China was sentenced to death on Oct. 25 for the abduction and trafficking of 17 children in China from 1993 to 2003.

According to China's English-language media China Daily, Yu Huaying had acted with her accomplices to abduct children from three provinces in China and sell them for financial gain.

She was previously given the death sentence in 2023, but faced a retrial in Guizhou province as the judgment had overlooked some facts relating to her crime, reported Global Times.

Sold her biological son and other children

Yu had worked with Gong Xianliang and her husband Wang Jiawen to abduct 17 children from Guizhou, Chongqing, and Yunnan provinces.

They subsequently sold them to Handan city in the Hebei province.

Yu had also trafficked her own son and sold him for 5,000 yuan (S$927).

Gong passed away while the case was ongoing and Wang pleaded guilty in Yunnan in September 2024.

Parents of the affected children had spent years searching for them or developed depression.

According to China Daily, the Guiyang Intermediate People's Court said the death sentence was imposed as the circumstances of Yu's criminal behaviour were "extremely serious" and the consequence of her crime was "extremely severe".

In addition to the death penalty, she had also been stripped of her political rights for life and all her personal assets were seized.

Retrial

The high court had previously ordered a retrial of Yu's case, citing omissions of facts in the original ruling.

Initially, only 11 children were identified as victims.

During the retrial on Oct. 11. 2024, six additional child abduction victims were identified.

Despite already receiving a death sentence, the retrial was essential to provide justice for the newly identified victims and their families.

Following the new sentencing, Yu has filed another appeal with a higher court.

Arrested multiple times but did not confess

The court revealed that Yu was first arrested in 2004 by public security authorities in Yunnan for child abduction, reported Global Times.

Using a fake identity, she did not confess to her crimes and was sentenced to eight years for having a false identity.

In June 2022, after being rearrested by Guiyang authorities, Yu again refused to confess and showed no remorse.

Her case has drawn widespread attention in China since the 2022 arrest.

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