9-Year-Old Girl Chained Like an Animal and Horribly Abused
Escapes Life-Threatening Situation from 4th Floor the Moment Leash Comes Off
Stepfather Appeals, "I'm Sorry, Please Show Mercy"
The stepfather involved in child abuse in Changnyeong is being moved to the annex interrogation room of the Changnyeong Police Station in Gyeongnam on the morning of the 13th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Public outrage is rising as the stepfather (35) who brutally abused a 9-year-old girl has partially admitted to his charges and apologized, asking for leniency.
Despite committing cruel acts such as burning the victim's fingers with a frying pan and assaulting her with a metal rod and a laundry drying rack, he pleaded for leniency out of fear of punishment, drawing criticism.
On the 13th, after an arrest warrant was issued, the stepfather was taken to Changnyeong Police Station in Gyeongnam and was interrogated for about 9 hours and 30 minutes from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. He apologized and asked the police for leniency.
After the investigation, the stepfather was detained in a holding cell in Miryang. The police plan to request an arrest warrant for him today (14th).
The biological mother (27), who is also suspected of participating in the abuse along with the stepfather, was admitted to an emergency facility on the 12th and is currently undergoing a detailed examination at a hospital in the province due to mental distress. After the detailed examination, she will undergo about two weeks of administrative hospitalization before being investigated.
A(9), an elementary school student from Changnyeong, Gyeongnam, who is reported to have been abused by her stepfather and biological mother, is seen talking with the first police reporter (left) at a convenience store in Changnyeong on the 29th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Miss A escaped from home on the 29th of last month and was found by a resident running along a road in Changnyeong in her pajamas.
The stepfather and biological mother reportedly tortured Miss A like an animal, tying her neck with a metal chain and burning her insteps and soles with heated metal chopsticks.
In a broadcast interview, the stepfather partially admitted to the abuse, saying, "When she said she was going to leave the house, I told her if you’re going out, since you have fingerprints, burn your fingers on a heated frying pan."
This implies that since fingerprints can be used to track her and bring her back home, he wanted to remove her fingerprints altogether.
They only loosened the chains when she ate or went to the bathroom. At the time of her escape, only the biological mother and her step-siblings were at home; the stepfather was not present.
The appearance of a villa in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam, where a 9-year-old elementary school student, who suffered severe abuse from a stepfather and biological mother, resides on the 11th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Taking advantage of a moment when the chains were loosened, Miss A climbed over the veranda railing, crossed the outer wall, and moved to the neighboring house to escape.
Wearing pajamas and barefoot, she ran outside the villa and was spotted by a resident who reported her to the police.
The police, in coordination with a child protection agency, hospitalized Miss A and began their investigation on the 2nd. They completed the first interrogation of the stepfather on the 4th.
More than 10 abusive tools were found during a search, including frying pans, chains, padlocks, and plastic rods.
Meanwhile, under a temporary protection order from the court, Miss A will be cared for at a shelter. If a formal protection order is issued, she may stay in an institution until she reaches adulthood at 18, depending on the court’s decision.
Her three younger siblings are also living apart from their parents in a facility due to concerns about psychological abuse.
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