Outpouring of grief in Taiwan as boy, 7, dies after being thrown 27 times in judo class

A seven-year-old boy who was allegedly thrown to the ground 27 times during judo training in Taiwan has died after being on life support for 70 days, according to reports.

The boy, who has not been named, had been in a coma since April when he suffered a severe brain injury after a judo class in which the boy was reportedly thrown to the ground by his coach and an older classmate.

Feng Yuan Hospital said that the boy’s condition had deteriorated in the past few days, and his parents decided to withdraw life support on Tuesday, according to CNA.

The boy’s mother thanked people for their support and said the family was focused on planning a funeral.

The coach, who is not a licensed judo instructor, was this month charged with physical assault resulting in serious injury and using a minor to commit a crime, according to Taipei Times.

The prosecutor’s office said that the coach slammed the boy at least 10 times, thinking he was faking illness when the seven-year-old complained of a headache. The coach has said that it was part of normal training.

The boy’s father has told local reporters that the seven-year-old pleaded with the coach to stop, but he continued to throw him on the ground till his son became completely unresponsive and had to be rushed to a hospital.

The incident, which happened on 21 April, was reportedly filmed by the boy’s uncle who wanted to show his mother that judo was not appropriate for the seven-year-old.

Questions have been raised over why the uncle did not intervene and stop the coach. BBC quoted experts in Taiwan as saying that there is a notion of reverence for teachers which sometimes lead people to accept their authority despite the circumstances.

The news of the boy’s death has led to an outpouring of grief on Taiwanese social media, according to BBC. One of the messages read: “there is no pain now, little brother.”