Doctor in Hunan Sentenced to 8 Years for Raping 2 Minors

A doctor in central China's Hunan province has been sentenced to eight years in prison for raping two girls under the age of 14, a court ruled today.

Liu Zhouyun, 34, an internist at a township health center in Lanshan County, Yongzhou, was first detained in October 2023 by Jianghua County police on suspicion of rape and later prosecuted, according to a report by The Paper.

Prosecutors said Liu met both victims online and arranged to meet them separately at hotels in Jianghua County and Lengshuitan District, where he had sex with them. Both girls were under 14 at the time.

In August 2024, the Jianghua County People's Court convicted Liu of rape and sentenced him to eight years in prison. Liu appealed the verdict. During the appeal, his father, Liu Zhijun, a prosecutor at the Lanshan County People's Procuratorate, served as his defense counsel in a personal capacity.

On July 24, 2025, the Yongzhou Intermediate People's Court upheld the conviction in a second trial but found the original sentence "inappropriately severe." The court noted Liu had not used violence or threats and that the assaults did not cause serious physical consequences. His sentence was reduced to six years.

Following the reduced sentence, Liu's father filed a petition for a retrial.

On December 19, 2025, the case was retried at the Yongzhou Intermediate People's Court. On January 14, 2026, the court revoked its own second-instance judgment and reinstated the original eight-year sentence from the Jianghua County court.

In its retrial decision, the court stated that Liu's guilt was "clearly established by solid and sufficient evidence." It emphasized that he had raped two girls under 14, one of them on multiple occasions, warranting severe punishment under the law.