Two sentenced over child trafficking in east China

JINAN, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A court in east China's Shandong Province on Wednesday sentenced one person to death with a reprieve and another to life imprisonment for child trafficking.

Guo Gangtang, the father of an abducted boy, inspired the 2015 road drama film "Lost and Love." The film depicts the father's arduous journey, riding a motorbike across China in search of his son. In 2021, Guo reunited with his abducted son after 24 years of search.

Hu Fuji was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve and Tang Lixia was sentenced to life in prison, according to a verdict by the Liaocheng Intermediate People's Court.

Both are deprived of their political rights for life, with all their personal property confiscated, the verdict said.

The two defendants were also ordered to jointly pay the plaintiffs over 500,000 yuan (about 70,400 U.S. dollars) as compensation for the incidental damages.

In 1997 and 1998, Hu and Tang abducted and trafficked four children. Hu, together with others, also abducted and trafficked a fifth child in 2001, the court found.