A court in Zhoukou, Henan province, sentenced a man to six years in prison and his wife to three years, and fined them both 5,000 yuan ($804), for forcing children to become beggars and acrobatic performers, Dahe Daily reported on Wednesday.

Zhai Jun and his wife, Wei Yun, set up an acrobatic troupe in 2005. Zhai and Wei are from Zhangji township in Zhoukou city, where many parents are migrant workers and some let their children join local acrobatic troupes to earn money.

Zhai recruited several children in his hometown and took them to other parts of the country, including Hunan and Hainan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, to beg on the street and perform acrobatics.

The children were poorly fed, and Zhai allegedly beat them if they failed to collect 1,000 yuan a day through begging.

Zhai signed a three-year contract with the children's parents, agreeing to pay each child 500 yuan a month. If the child got sick or disappeared, Zhai's only compensation to the parents would be 10,000 yuan.

In 2005, a 7-year-old child became Zhai's recruit but disappeared on March 20, 2005.

In 2010, Zhai sent a 6-year-old girl home after two years as a beggar. The child had multiple wounds on her head, ears, nose and fingers.

The girl said Zhai struck her ears and nose with scissors, and punched an iron nail against her fingers, if she refused to perform or did not collect enough money.

On Dec 25, 2009, a 6-year-old child from Zhai's troupe died in a hospital. A troupe member pleaded guilty in the death and was sentenced to three years in prison. That member later said Zhai told him to take the blame because he would receive leniency as a minor, but the child in fact died because of frequent beating by Zhai.

Zhai and Wei were arrested in early 2011, after an online campaign led to the rescue of several children from his troupe.

According to the sixth amendment to the Chinese criminal law, people who use violence or coercion to organize individuals with disabilities or children less than 14 years old to beg can face up to seven years in prison and fines.