Chang Teng Wang jailed for five and a half years over grandson’s death

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Chang Teng Wang was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions, for the death of his ten-month-old grandson, Seán Wang. Judge Martina Baxter imposed the sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 13 November 2023.

Wang pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Seán Wang. The unlawful killing occurred on 15 August 2019.

Wang admitted to gardaí that he had vigorously shaken the baby, saying he was trying to calm him. He said he did not shake the baby to punish him and did not know his actions could cause his death. Sergeant Siobhán Tolan said there was no evidence that Wang beat or punished the baby, and that what happened was accidental or negligent on his behalf.

Seán was brought to Temple Street Children’s Hospital on 13 August 2019 and died 66 hours after admission. A postmortem examination showed that the shaking caused head and neck trauma leading to his death. His parents suggested injuries might have occurred during their rapid drive to hospital, but subsequent garda tests found nothing that could have caused them that way.

Judge Baxter said she could not ignore the use of the word accident by Wang and the child’s mother because it was not an accident. She considered Wang’s guilty plea, cooperation with gardaí and family support. No victim impact statement was presented.