Foster carer, sister indicted in fatal child abuse case

Taipei, April 18 (CNA) A foster carer surnamed Liu (劉) and her younger sister were indicted Thursday on child abuse charges in the case of a 1-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten to death last December, according to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office.

The Liu sisters are accused of criminal offenses that include the abuse of the foster child, impairing his mental and physical development, and causing injuries that lead to his death, the prosecutors office said, citing child welfare laws.

The case will be heard by lay judges alongside professional judges, it said in a statement.

The 1-year-old boy died on Dec. 24 last year, less than four months after the Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) placed him in full-time foster care with Liu, a legally accredited home-based foster carer in Taipei, according to the city government.

In January, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office summoned Liu for questioning, and it later obtained a court order to detain her on suspicion of child abuse leading to death, it said in an earlier statement.

Liu's younger sister was also summoned for questioning and was detained in February on similar charges, it said.

Last month, Taipei prosecutors also questioned a CWLF employee, a 29-year-old social worker surnamed Chen (陳) who had handled the foster care case, and she was released on bail of NT$300,000 (US$9,535).

Chen is still under investigation for allegedly falsifying documents pertaining to the case and could face charges of involuntary manslaughter, according to the prosecutors office.