Suspects, all under 14 at time, are accused of bullying classmate over long period before killing him in Hebei last month

China will put three boys on trial for allegedly murdering another child, a provincial prosecutor has said, in a case that has shocked the country and sparked public debate over the treatment of juvenile offenders.

The three suspects, all aged under 14 at the time of the murder, are accused of bullying a 13-year-old middle-school classmate surnamed Wang over a long period before killing him last month in Hebei.

The details of the case, in which the killers reportedly buried Wang’s body in an abandoned greenhouse, drew public attention to how the law deals with juveniles accused of serious crimes.

China lowered its age of criminal responsibility in 2021 from the international norm of 14 to 12 for “special cases” such as inflicting death by “extremely cruel means”.