A MAN was recently prosecuted by Shenzhen Municipal People’s Procuratorate for physical abuse and intentional murder of his girlfriend’s toddler daughter, who died of a fatal head injury last year, SZTV reported yesterday. The 1-year-old girl’s mother was also charged with abusing the girl.

The girl, named Mengmeng, died in Guangming District of a head injury she sustained after being thrown onto the ground by her mother’s boyfriend, identified by his family name Xie, on Sept. 17 last year.

Before her death, Mengmeng was found suffering from multiple other injuries to her head and body when she was taken to a local hospital on the night of Sept. 17. Her mother, surnamed Zhu, claimed that the girl had fallen to the ground from her bed.

However, the doctor who treated Mengmeng found many scars and bruises all around her body. The doctor then called the police as they suspected that the girl had been abused.

Xie was taken to a police station for investigation.

Mengmeng did not survive her injuries.

Mengmeng’s father said that he divorced Zhu in March last year and that the mother refused to let him visit Mengmeng after the divorce.

An investigation found that Xie frequently physically abused the girl with clothing hangers, or used an iron bar to poke her chest. He even burned the girl’s fingers with lighting cigarettes.

On Sept. 17, Xie pushed Mengmeng to the ground before throwing her to the ground twice. Zhu failed to protect her child and stop her boyfriend from hurting the girl, the prosecutors said. (Zhang Qian)