...

Mother in China who smothered mentally ill child avoids jail

Other News Materials 31 October 2008 09:23 (UTC +04:00)

Chinese state media says a mother who admitted poisoning and smothering her mentally ill daughter to death has been spared a jail sentence, the Associated Press reported.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Friday that Li Daohong fed her 20-year old daughter, who suffered from brain paralysis, more than 200 sleeping pills in a Beijing hotel, before smothering her with towels and a quilt while she was asleep.

Xinhua said Li, a villager from eastern Jiangsu province, was given a three-year jail sentence that was suspended for five years by a Beijing court.

Li had spent the girl's entire life and all her money taking her around China seeking treatment.

The case highlights the plight of the mentally ill in China, a subject that remains taboo in much of China and is given little attention in the media.

Latest

Latest