7-Year-Old Boy Dies After Being Slammed 27 Times By Judo Coach, Older Student
KEY POINTS
- The incident occurred in April 21
- The boy went into a deep coma following a surgery
- On Tuesday, doctors and his family decided to take him off life support
A 7-year-old boy, who was in a coma after suffering a severe brain hemorrhaging during his judo class in Taiwan, has died.
According to local media reports, the child's parents decided to remove him from life support after 70 days of the incident.
In April, the Taiwanese boy was slammed to the floor 27 times by his judo coach, a 68-year-old man surnamed Ho. The coach has been charged with physical assault resulting in serious injury and using a minor to commit a crime, according to local news site the Taipei Times. Earlier this month, Ho was released on a $3,583 bail amount.
The boy had attended judo class on April 21 under the supervision of his uncle. The attack on the boy was caught on camera as the victim's uncle had been recording the class to show his mother that judo was potentially unsuitable for him.
In the video, the boy is seen being thrown several times by an older classmate during practice. He is heard screaming in the video, but his coach orders him to stand up. The coach then tells the older boy to continue throwing him, before proceeding to pick him up and throw him to the ground himself.
It wasn't clear why the boy was assaulted by the coach and the older student.
The victim was rushed to a hospital after he passed out. The boy was diagnosed with severe brain injury and he went into a deep coma after surgery at Fengyuan Hospital. It was later revealed by the Chinese Taipei Judo Federation that Ho does not have a coaching license issued by the association.
"I still remember that morning when I took him to school," his mother had said earlier, according to BBC. "He turned around and said, 'Mama goodbye'. By night, he had become like this."
On Tuesday, the Fengyuan Hospital told the family the boy's blood pressure and heart rate levels were dropping. The doctors discussed the health issues with the family and decided to withdraw life support.
On June 4, the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office found the coach guilty of causing serious injury to a child, according to the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act and the Criminal Law of the Republic of China.
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