BEIJING: A Ferrari owner in southwest China is considering legal action after some children used his supercar as a slide, damaging it while their parents remained unapologetic.
Zhang, from Kunming in Yunnan province, recently parked his red Ferrari, valued at 3.6 million yuan (US$530,000), in an outdoor space before leaving on a business trip.
While he was away, a neighbour told him four boys had climbed onto the vehicle and repeatedly used it as a slide.
Surveillance footage showed the children approaching the car with long bamboo poles before scrambling onto the roof.
When Zhang returned, he found scratches across the bodywork and a cracked bumper.
Zhang told Jiupai News he initially avoided going to a Ferrari showroom because the alleged culprits were children and, as a father, he wanted to be lenient. Repairs there, he said, would have started at about 100,000 yuan (US$15,000).
He instead used local workshops. One assessed the damage at 48,000 yuan, while the final bill reportedly came to 29,360 yuan.
But when he brought the receipts to a police station to discuss compensation with the children’s parents, he was angered by what he saw as their lack of sincerity.
According to Zhang, the parents offered only 5,000 yuan (US$735) in total and never voluntarily brought the children to apologise.
He said he was seeking only the cost of repairs but would sue if no agreement was reached.
The children and their parents have not publicly commented on the case so far. Their ages have also not been disclosed, although mainland media reports suggest they are under 10.
A lawyer from Fahui Law Firm in Henan province, central China, told Elephant News that the children’s actions could amount to civil infringement, meaning their guardians may be liable and required to compensate the owner based on the vehicle’s market value or other reasonable measures.
Under Chinese law, children under 14 who violate public security regulations are not subject to administrative detention, although police may order their guardians to discipline and educate the children. Criminal liability for intentionally damaging property applies only to offenders aged 16 or above.
The case has triggered anger on mainland social media, with related posts drawing more than 60 million views.
“The parents should pay whatever is owed. If they fail to teach their children, society will teach them instead,” one online observer wrote.
“Zhang must sue them. Do not let them off just because they are ‘only’ kids,” another wrote. - South China Morning Post
