Death and life imprisonment sentences upheld for child traffickers
The family is eventually reunited in July 2021, 24 years after the abduction.
A court in east China upheld the death sentence and life imprisonment for two human traffickers who abducted and trafficked five children, including a boy whose father's two-decade search inspired a blockbuster movie starring Hong Kong actor Andy Lau.
Hu Fuji was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve and his parole was restricted, while his then-girlfriend Tang Lixia received life imprisonment, according to the verdict issued by the Shandong Higher People's Court on Wednesday.
Hu and Tang abducted and sold four children between 1997 and 1998. Additionally, Hu was found guilty of abducting and selling another child in 2001.
Guo Xinzhen, one of the abducted boys, was taken by Tang in 1997 at the age of two and sold in Henan Province by the pair.
His father, Guo Gangtang, embarked on an unyielding journey to look for the boy, traveling across China for over 500,000 kilometers, wearing out dozens of motorcycles and carrying banners with his son's information.
Guo Gangtang rides a motorcycle in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, looking for his son in this 2010 file photo.
The story of the father's relentless search inspired the blockbuster movie "Lost and Love," featuring Andy Lau as Guo.
The family was eventually reunited in July 2021, 24 years after the abduction. The two suspects were arrested by the police a month later.
In December 2023, the Liaocheng Intermediate People's Court issued its first-instance verdict in the case, sentencing Hu to death with a two-year reprieve and Tang to life imprisonment. Both defendants appealed the verdicts.
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