A Chinese man has been caught on camera brutally slapping his father, who is said to be mentally ill, in a hospital ward.
The elderly patient, 86, from Shanghai, was also kicked in the leg and strapped to the bed by his son, according to onlookers who supplied the video.
The son can be heard saying ‘why did you cause trouble’ as his father cried for help while being beaten. The police have detained the son for questioning after the video became viral on social media.
Onlookers said the son had been strapping and kicking his father (left). One eyewitness filmed the beating and released a picture of the father (right) so that the public could help him
The clip, a part of a four-minute-long video, was first shared by a social media user, who posted it to the Twitter-like platform Weibo on August, 20.
The user, who remained anonymous, claimed to have witnessed the son beating his father every day.
The user wrote in the post ‘can anyone help this elderly man’ before uploading a picture showing the father.
Conversation between the son and his ill father indicated that the father had thrown his food on the ground, which enraged his son, who started beating the elderly man.
The son can be heard saying: ‘You are in hospital. Why did you cause trouble?’
The post claimed that the elderly man was mentally ill, and he had two sons and a daughter. It’s said that this son would hit his bedridden father when he came to pay his daily visit.
The user also claimed that the son would threaten his ill father by telling him ‘I’ll punish you properly when we get home’.
The elderly man cried out loud begging his son to stop as the man violently slapped him (left). The arms of the dementia patient were also strapped to the side of the bed by force (right)
According to Shanghai-based newspaper The Paper, the father is 86 years old and is known as Mr Wang.
The report said the father was admitted into the neurology ward of Shanghai No. 4 People’s Hospital in eastern China on August 11.
Doctors from the hospital told a reporter that Mr Wang had dementia, and showed symptoms of memory distortion, sleeping and eating disorders as well as disorientation.
Other patients sharing a ward with Mr Wang told the reporter that they had seen Mr Wang’s son beating and kicking him when he came to visit.
One of the wardmates said: ‘One time, Mr Wang was crossing his legs while sitting on a chair, his son kicked his legs and later strapped him to a bed.’
Another person, who was a family member of another patient, said Mr Wang was beaten by his son ‘all the time’.
The person said: ‘Although this is more of a family matter, children should live up to the responsibility of taking good care of their parents, not treating them by violence.’
Footage has emerged showing the bedridden father being abused by his son at a hospital in Shanghai (left). The elderly man was slapped in the face repeatedly, as the clip shows (right)
Mr Wang’s son told The Paper on August 21 that he beat his father because his father ‘had not behaved well’.
The son said that he beat his father because of previous family dispute as well.
Dr Xiao, the father’s doctor, reportedly found bone fractures on Mr Wang’s left arm and bruises at the corner of his eyes days after the patient had been admitted to the hospital.
The doctor said the hospital had suggested surgery for Mr Wang to treat the injuries, but Mr Wang’s family said they couldn’t afford it.
However, there is no proof that Mr Wang’s injuries were caused by the beating.
After the video became popular online, web users reported the case to the police.
Mr Wang’s son has been taken away by the police for questioning while the case is being investigated further.