Shandong police to re-investigate allegations man raped adopted daughter

Police in Yantai, Shandong Province, are re-investigating allegations a man repeatedly raped his adopted daughter.

The daughter identified as Xiaofang claimed her adopted father, surnamed Bao, had raped and abused her over a four-year period, thepaper.cn reported.

Xiaofang reported Bao to police in April 2019, but police in Zhifu District concluded there was not enough evidence to make a case.

Yantai police also said they will examine any misconduct by Zhifu District police and announce results in due course.

Xiaofang claimed she attempted suicide several times after the case was not accepted, and filed another report with police in October 2019.

Xiaofang was adopted by Bao when she was about to turn 14 in 2016 as her superstitious mother thought foster parents would change Xiaofang’s ominous future.

Xiaofang claimed Bao repeatedly raped and beat her, and forced her to watch child pornography, thepaper reported.

In an interview with news portal cqcb.com on April 9, Bao said he had always acted lawfully and that Xiaofang had made up the allegations. As to whether he had a sexual relationship with her, he refused to answer, citing privacy. 

Legal experts have pointed out that the adoption was illegal because according to China’s adoption law, a single male can only adopt a child 40 years younger than him. Bao is 30 years older than Xiaofang.

According to his online resume, Bao, 48, is an accomplished lawyer who practised law in both China and the US.

Bao was a vice president of Jereh Group, a listed company specializing in oil, gas, power and environment management in Yantai, and an independent non-executive director of ZTE Group.

His employment with Jereh was terminated following the allegations, the company said in a statement on April 10. ZTE said it had accepted Bao's resignation.

He was fired as a researcher by the Business School of Southwest University of Political Science and Law on April 10.