Court rejects appeal in Tang Lanlan rape case

The provincial court of Heilongjiang on Friday rejected an appeal by defendants involved in a high-profile sexual abuse case after a five-month-long review, as judges said the evidence was strong enough to support the original ruling.

"We thoroughly examined the case and its related materials, and concluded that the original verdict was based on clear facts and sufficient evidence. The convictions and sentences were accurate and appropriate," the Provincial High People's Court of Heilongjiang said in a statement.

The court also concluded that there's no evidence to support the torture claim by the defendants.

In October of 2008, Tang Lanlan (alias), a 14-year-old girl at a village in the province's Wudalianchi city, reported to local police that she had been repeatedly raped and sexually abused by more than 10 people, including her father and grandfather, since she was 6.

In October of 2010, the Heihe Intermediate People's Court announced 11 defendants, including Tang's parents, uncle, teacher, neighbors and the village head, guilty for rape and forced prostitution. They were given sentences ranging from five years in prison to life imprisonment.

The 11 people appealed, claiming forced confession by the police. In October 2012, the Provincial High People's Court rejected the appeal.

Some defendants, including Tang's mother, have been released since November 2016 after serving their sentences. However, a total of 10 defendants appealed again to the Provincial High People's Court earlier this year, claiming they were tortured by the police.

Due to the sensational facts, the case then received wide attention from the public. The court started to re-examine the case in February.

"After reading the case files, checking the evidence and talking with people related to the case, including prosecutors and detention house officers 144 times, we haven't found any evidence of torture and problems in the original verdict," said Sun Guanyu, a chief judge responsible for reviewing the case at the provincial court.

"We also reached out and talked with Tang Lanlan, but did not find any motivation for her to make a false accusation," he said, adding that the facts and statements from her were consistent with what she provided before.

Tang Lanlan said on Friday that she had never falsely accused anybody. "It's the harm on me. I have no reason to make such a fake accusation if they did not do that," the girl was quoted by China Central Television as saying.

Deng Xueping, lawyer of Tang Jihai, Tang Lanlan's father, said on Friday that he would continue helping his client appeal to the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. The father was given the heaviest punishment — lifelong in jail.