Man suspected of beating his young son to death in Taichung arrested

Taichung, Aug. 24 (CNA) — A 27-year-old man in Taichung suspected of beating his young son to death was arrested by prosecutors on Saturday and held incommunicado.

The suspect, whose surname is Liao (廖), is being investigated for allegedly violating the Law on the Protection of the Welfare and Rights of Children and Adolescents, as well as violations of the Criminal Code, including assault and child abuse resulting in death, the Taichung District Prosecutors' Office said.

According to the city's Third Police Precinct, the case was first reported to authorities by a local hospital on Thursday afternoon when a nine-month-old child was admitted to the emergency room with cardiac arrest.

The boy was found with bruises and was subsequently pronounced dead after attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, police said.

Liao and his 23-year-old girlfriend surnamed Kan (甘), the infant's mother, were both questioned about the incident, but both claimed that their son suffocated while sleeping on his stomach.

When officers showed evidence of their son's physical injuries, the father admitted to hitting him with his hands and a toy because of his constant crying, police reported.

The parents only called for medical help when they noticed that the boy had stopped breathing, police said.

After the first police questioning, the case was later handed over to the public prosecutor's office for further investigation, according to the station.

Due to the seriousness of the crime, prosecutors filed a request with the court late Friday night to detain Liao and hold him incommunicado, a request that was granted early Saturday morning.

However, the mother was later released after being questioned by the public prosecutor.