Zhang Zhenjie was taken to the South Port detain of Gold Coast in May 2018(Southport watchhouse). (ABC Photo)
More than two years ago, the abduction of Chinese-American boys in Queensland has come to an end. Zhenjie Kenny Zhang, Zhenjie Zhang, who broke the law to recover a $5.5 million gambling debt from the victim's father, was sentenced to seven years in prison yesterday.
The 55-year-old-year-old Chinese Sydney man, admitted to the South Hong Kong District Court (Southport District Court) in Gold Coast that he had lost control of his behavior and said he wanted to formally apologize to the boy.
On May 11,2018, around 3:30 p.m., Zhang Zhenjie was accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old boy near Somerset College (Somerset College) on the Gold Coast, dragging the screaming boy into a black Gyibug guide (Jeep Compass) sport utility vehicle, triggering a police hunt.
During the tracking of the child, the police issued amber alerts to northern New State and Queensland (Amber Alert). 20 hours after the incident, the boy was finally found in the town of Grafton (Grafton), a new state ,240 km from the site. He was tied to his hands and neck and placed in the back of the car. Zhang Zhenjie is in the car with him.
Zhang Zhenjie then fell into the net and was escorted back to Queensland. His son, Zhang Yu, who was in Sydney at the time of the crime, was also wanted and turned himself in to the police.
"I want to say, I am very sorry. "If you are afraid, please forgive me ," Zhang said yesterday through an interpreter. Your father behaved badly. He owed me a lot of money. I thought I had no choice. "
prosecutor Haines (Matt Hynes), however, told court, the boy had been hooded and drank only twice during the 16 hours of his abduction.
Haynes also said the boy had tried to escape three times. "For the first time, his ankle was tied. The second time, his mouth was stuffed into a towel. For the third time, his head was tied to the seat and the rope wound around his neck. "
Zhang Yu's charges have been revoked. (Photo of Table 7)
A debt dispute between the boy's father and Zhang Zhenjie led to the kidnapping. court learned that the two met in 2010 and have since become old friends at the gambling table and have long gambling. with Asia
Zhang said he owed more than $5 million during the hearing, but the boy's father denied the debt.
Heines said Zhang Zhenjie blackmailed the boy's family for more than three months, including sending watch out... A threat text message waiting for the body.
In the victim impact statement submitted to the court, the boy's mother claimed that her son was no longer carefree and had become "gloomy, frightened and miserable ".
Zhang Zhenjie's lawer, however, McDugar (Alastair McDougall) argued that his client had no criminal record and that his crime was due to "despair ".
Mr. mcdougal said mr. zhang had tried to recover the debt from the boy's father in order to pay his mother's medical bills and offer his son a flight school. He became desperate when he failed to recover his debts.
judge mcguinness (Katherine McGinness) said he had been in jail for more than two and a half years than two and a half years and agreed that he could not speak english and would feel isolated in prison.
Considering that Zhang Zhenjie has no criminal record and good character, he was sentenced to seven years before applying for parole in February next year.
And Zhang Yu's accusation ,22, was revoked after Zhang Zhenjie admitted last month for kidnapping and extortion.
Zhang Yu has was acciused six charges, including extortion, deprive the freedom of others, kidnapping for ransom. Shortly after his detention, he claimed to have been beaten by a group in prison, resulting in a fracture of his nose and chin, and was released on bail of $30,000 in June 2018, subject to his passport and no contact with his father and witnesses to the case.
