Victim of Domestic Violence Catches Abuser With Smartphone Camera

Victim of Domestic Violence Catches Abuser With Smartphone Camera
A family at a hospital in China. (China Photos/Getty Images)
Daniel Holl
5/23/2019
Updated:
9/6/2019
Warning: This report contains disturbing imagery.

A woman used her smartphone to secretly film her husband assaulting her in front of their young son. The woman suffered bruises, and the husband has been criminally detained, according to Chinese state-sponsored media The Beijing News.

The assault happened after an argument on May 17 between the woman, surnamed Yao, and the man, surnamed Chen, according to a police publication online. Local police arrested Chen in Guangdong Province, China on May 18.

The video was published on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, on May 20 by user “Internet Leopard Strength,” a homonym in Chinese for “Internet Violence.”

While in police custody, Chen confessed to intentionally harming his wife, according to the May 21 police publication.

Attacked on Camera

The video begins with Yao setting up a camera in a relatively empty room. Clothes can be seen hanging in the window, and Yao appears to be sitting on a thin mattress on the floor, with her young son near her. She appears to be attempting to hide the camera under a bed sheet.

Just as she places the camera on the floor, Chen barges into the room, wearing only an underwear, and kicks Yao.

Yao screams loudly, then Chen begins punching her, while holding her with his other hand.

The camera only catches footage of Yao struggling on the ground, while Chen stands over her and continues to pummel her.

The boy screams wildly, in tears, but is far too young to intervene. He tries to grab his mother as she reaches for him too, while Chen hits her. Yao lays in a fetal position while Chen continues his attack.

Then Chen steps away from Yao, and the young boy crawls into her arms. Chen stops the attack, and looks down on the two. The entire assault lasted about 40 seconds.

After a moment, Chen walks out of the room and slams the door.

The video ends with Yao in tears, dragging herself on the floor and trying to reach for her phone.

At around 2 p.m. on May 17, after the attack, Yao went to the hospital, and reported the incident, according to the police report.

Chen was detained by police one day later, and confessed to assaulting his wife.

Daniel Holl is a Sacramento, California-based reporter, specializing in China-related topics. He moved to China alone and stayed there for almost seven years, learning the language and culture. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
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