Taiwan man, 26, slams girlfriend's son, 4, against wall for showing middle finger, leaves him in vegetative state

A 26-year-old man in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, who was upset that his girlfriend's two sons dropped biscuit crumbs on the floor, forced them to do squats as punishment.

When the younger boy showed him the middle finger, the man allegedly slammed the four-year-old boy's head against a wall.

The boy, Liu, complained of headaches and dizziness for three days, and fainted on the fourth day.

He is now in a vegetative state.

On Nov. 13, the man, Zheng, was indicted by the Kaohsiung City Prosecutors' Office on charges of child abuse resulting in serious injury, Taiwanese media reported.

Prosecutors are seeking a 12-year jail sentence for Zheng.

His case is before the courts.

Slammed boy's head against wall

Prosecutors said the incident took place on Sep. 15.

Zheng was living with his girlfriend and her two sons in an apartment in Kaohsiung's Fongshan district, Taipei Times reported.

This followed months of abuse, from February to September, inflicted on the two boys by Zheng, who used physical punishments under the guise of “games” or to “teach them a lesson,” prosecutors said.

On Sep. 15, Liu and his 10-year-old brother, were eating biscuits at home when they dropped crumbs on the floor.

Zheng, unhappy that they were "making a mess while eating", ordered them to clean up and also punished them by making them do squats, ET Today reported.

Liu taunted Zheng by showing the middle finger.

In response, Zheng allegedly grabbed the boy and slammed his head repeatedly against a balcony wall.

Liu complained of headaches and dizziness for three days, before vomiting and collapsing on the fourth day.

He was taken to the emergency room of a local hospital by his mother.

Left in vegetative state from head injuries

The hospital found that Liu had suffered massive internal bleeding in his skull, along with multiple bruises, brain swelling and brain herniation, Taipei Times reported.

He has remained in a vegetative state and lost functions including speech, taste and smell, prosecutors said.

As the boy's injuries were suspected to be from child abuse, the hospital notified the social affairs bureau immediately.

During investigations, Zheng denied hitting the boy's head, although he admitted to hitting the boys with a wooden stick.

The mother claimed she was showering and did not witness the incident, prosecutors said.

Kindergarten did not report previous signs of abuse

Investigations also revealed that Liu's kindergarten teacher had also found bruises on his face and bite marks on the outside of his thighs from February to May, ET Today reported.

The teacher had taken photos for record-keeping, but did not report the suspected abuse.

Prosecutors alleged that evidence including Liu's brother’s testimony and medical reports showed that Zheng had "inflicted severe physical and psychological abuse over a substantial period of time".

Zheng is currently prohibited from contacting the two brothers, while the mother may visit them with the consent and supervision of the social affairs bureau.

She must also cooperate with family care programmes and attend parenting education counseling.

Liu has been placed in protective custody by social services, while his brother is now being cared for by relatives, Liberty Times Net reported.

Authorities are also investigating the kindergarten's failure to report the abuse.

Zheng's case is the first to be prosecuted under new amendments to Taiwan law, which sees increased penalties for child abuse offenders.

The reform was sparked by a December 2023 case where a one-year-old boy in Taiwan, named "Kai Kai", was killed by his two nannies.

Top image from Taipei Times & ET Today