Photos of policewoman breastfeeding defendant's baby go viral

Photos showing a policewoman breastfeeding the baby of a defendant went viral on social media recently.

The defendant, surnamed Li, was undergoing a court trial at Jinzhong Intermediate People's Court in Shanxi Province on September 23, while her four-month-old baby in the resting area kept crying due to hunger.

The bailiff, Hao Lina, who's a new mother, found a quiet place and breastfed the baby as if it were her own child. The baby soon stopped crying and fell asleep in the arms of this "temporary mother."

The heart-warming moment was captured by one of Hao's colleagues.

When the baby's mother — who is charged with fund-raising fraud, the illegal taking of public deposits, and concealing the illegal proceeds of crime, together with 33 other defendants — saw the photos before sentencing, she couldn't help but cry and repeatedly apologize for her wrongdoings.

Chinese netizens were greatly touched by the photos, with some applauding the policewoman for her kindness and others calling her profile in the photos "the most beautiful".

One web user said, "What a lovely gesture! That's very awesome of her to have such compassion for this child — the law is unselfish but the world is full of love."

However, Hao remained humble. 

She told a reporter after the incident that she didn't think too much of it at the time, and that she just wanted to try her best to comfort the baby as soon as possible. "I believe every mother would do the same if they were in the same situation."