Teacher in China arrested for rape of 11 pupils

Police in central China have arrested a teacher for the alleged rape of 11 girls aged between nine and 14 at their school.

Police in central China have arrested a teacher for the alleged rape of 11 girls aged between nine and 14 at their school, police and state media said on Thursday.

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Liu Xianhong, in his 50s, has been charged with raping the girls at the Jinwutang township central elementary school in Hunan province, the Beijing News reported. A police spokesman surnamed Liu in Suining county, where the school is located, confirmed the arrest when contacted by AFP by phone, but refused further comment on the case.

According to the paper, the girls had been placed in the boarding school by their migrant worker parents, who had found employment elsewhere, leaving the school in charge of their children. The incident came to light after one of the children became ill and revealed the abuse to a classmate.

The classmate's parents told the girl's father, who returned to the village and demanded an inquiry, it said. The school had also tried to cover up the crime by paying 200 yuan to each of the children to remain silent, but angry parents refused and began publicising the incident on the Internet, it said.