A 22-year-old man in China has been given a suspended jail sentence for selling his 2-year-old son online, reports the Telegraph.
The dad, from the central province of Hubei, advertised his son online and sold him to a couple from Beijing in April last year, according to the Beijing Times.
The dad had split from the toddler’s mum, and thought he didn’t have the time or financial ability to raise him. However, he ended up accusing the Beijing couple of child trafficking when he regretted the sale and rekindled his relationship with the mum.
The matter was investigated and went to trial. The dad was convicted of abandoning his child, receiving a six-month suspended sentence with a year’s probation. His son was returned to him.
The court found the couple who bought the toddler hadn’t committed any wrongdoing, because the father admitted he didn’t have the money to raise his child and they were willing to.
The court also confiscated the amount the toddler was sold for - 18,000 yuan or £1,792.
