Taiwan boy thrown 27 times during judo class taken off life

A seven-year-old boy who was slammed to the floor 27 times during judo practice has died in Taiwan. In April, he had suffered severe brain haemorrhaging after a judo class which saw both his classmate and his coach practise their throws on him. The boy, who has not been identified, later went into a coma and was placed on life support.

His parents decided to withdraw life support after 70 days, according to local media reports. The boy’s coach, who is in his late 60s, has been charged with physical assault resulting in serious injury and using a minor to commit a crime, according to local news site the Taipei Times. The coach, identified only by his surname Ho, was earlier this month released on bail of NT$100,000 ($3583; £2587). The seven-year old boy had attended judo class on 21 April under the supervision of his uncle, who reportedly filmed him in class to show his mother that judo was potentially unsuitable for him. The video shows him being thrown several times by an older classmate during practice. He is heard screaming in the video but his coach orders him to stand up and tells the older boy to continue throwing him, before proceeding to pick him up and throw him to the ground himself. He eventually passes out, though his family says his coach accused him of faking unconsciousness. It was later found that the coach was unlicensed.