Abandoning Family and Fleeing to a Distant City
Bigamy Is Illegal in China... Court Sentences Imprisonment
In China, an incident was reported where two parents met in a class chatroom, developed a romantic relationship, and even lived together. Eventually, they were sentenced to prison for bigamy.
According to Chinese media Xiaoxiang Morning News and Hong Kong media South China Morning Post on the 3rd, a man named Wen and a woman named Jang, living in Henan Province in central China, met in a group chat for their children's class. Jang had four children with her husband, and Wen and his wife had two children.
The two first met through a class chat group created by the teacher for their children. They exchanged contact information and frequently communicated, gradually developing feelings for each other. Wen often expressed affection toward Jang, who was relying on him at the time because she was suffering from domestic violence by her husband.
Later, in June 2019, after being subjected to physical and verbal abuse by her husband, Jang proposed fleeing to Tianjin, a northern city in China, to start a new life.
Wen moved to Tianjin with Jang without divorcing his wife and leaving his children behind. The two lived together for about five years. When Jang became pregnant, Wen returned to Henan Province to initiate divorce proceedings and reported their cohabitation to the police.
In China, living with someone other than one's spouse is legally and morally unacceptable, and bigamy can result in up to two years of imprisonment.
One netizen speculated that they turned themselves in to the police knowing they could not obtain a marriage certificate or register their newborn's household registration.
Ultimately, the court found Jang and Wen guilty of bigamy and sentenced them to four months in prison. However, Jang received a six-month suspended sentence due to the need to care for her child.
After the story spread, local netizens responded with comments such as "Families should be protected especially during difficult times" and "This could hurt the children."
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