Child rape victim's family decide not to appeal

The parents of a four-year-old girl who was raped by a former county official said on Tuesday that they will not appeal the offender's eight-year prison sentence. The People's Court in Daguan County in southwest China's Yunnan Province, announced on Dec. 6 that the prison term of Guo Yuchi, a former official of Daguanan, would be increased to eight years from five. Guo received five years of imprisonment at a trial in September, sparking a public outcry. The criminal law stipulates between three and ten years for rape of an adult. If the victim is under 14, the offender should be given a heavier sentence within that range. The victim's mother said although the new sentence was "lighter" than she expected, to avoid further impact on her daughter, the family decided not to appeal. "We will try to start our new lives as soon as possible. We want to say thank you to all the people who have given attention to the case," said the mother. The original verdict rejected compensation for the girl's family, but Guo later agreed to pay the family 150,000 yuan (24,660 U.S. dollars).