China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) revealed on Tuesday that four minors aged between 12 and 14 had been sentenced to 10 to 15 years recently. It came after a brutal bullying and murder case involving three 13-year-old suspects that drew public attention toward juvenile crime. The SPC also revealed an increase in juvenile crimes in recent years, with nearly 100,000 such cases reported in the last three years.
Recently, the debate about holding minors aged 12 to 14 criminally responsible for murder and serious crimes has attracted widespread attention. The SPC said that a total of four cases involving minors aged 12 to 14 have been concluded recently, with four individuals sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison in accordance with the law.
On March 10, three suspects aged 13 were detained for suspected bullying and murder in Handan, North China's Hebei Province. The three suspects are all left-behind children, and the case triggered wide public discussion of juvenile crimes.
The Supreme People's Procuratorate has reviewed and approved the prosecution of the three juvenile suspects, media reports said on April 8.
