A 22-year-old first-time father in Yilan has been sentenced to eight years in prison for fatally beating his newborn son, a case the court called deeply reprehensible.

• The man could not cope with his son's constant crying and repeatedly shook, slapped, and threw the baby onto a bed.
• The infant, less than a month old, died of brain injuries and nervous system failure after a final attack.
• The father lived with his 16-year-old girlfriend in a rented room while caring for the baby.
• He admitted hitting and shaking the child but denied meaning to cause death; judges rejected that, saying anyone knows a newborn's head and neck are fragile.
• His young age, lack of parenting experience, partial admission, and clean record kept the sentence at eight years.

Outlook: The verdict can still be appealed, and the case adds to pressure in Taiwan for better support and monitoring of very young parents.