The decision by a court in Thailand to reduce to 10 years the life sentence of a Chinese man found guilty of pushing his pregnant wife off a cliff has shocked the wife, who survived the incident, and her family.
"I was so shocked by this decision that I could not eat or sleep. I cannot accept it at all," Wang, who is still struggling with the physical effects of her injuries, said in a statement Friday.
Wang said in a statement following the ruling that she would appeal the decision with the Supreme Court of Thailand.
Yu Xiaodong was found guilty of attempted murder last year after he pushed his three-month pregnant wife, Wang Nan, off a 34-meter cliff. Wang survived the fall but sustained serious injuries. Doctors treating Wang had to abort her baby owing to her multiple injuries.
According to court documents, the presiding judge at the sentence appeal reduced it as a result of a lack of evidence proving intent to kill. The judge reduced Yu's sentence from attempted murder to attempted manslaughter.
During the initial trial, Yu denied all charges and evidence. This included a taped recording of a conversation between him and Wang after the incident, where he admitted to deliberately pushing her.
"A 10-year-imprisonment sentence means that he will be out in just a few years - he has already served two years. And since Thailand is a Buddhist country, he will typically receive a remission. Following this logic, he would simply inherit my money if I died, or get away with it because I did not die," Wang said.
The incident happened at the Pha Taem National Park in June 2019. Wang said she survived the fall thanks to some trees that slowed her descent.
According to Wang, she and her husband had been fighting over his gambling debts in the days leading up to the attack. Wang said her husband had attempted to kill her in a bid to obtain her wealth. He was unemployed during that time. Wang said she had a life insurance policy worth more than $4.6 million.
