The appeal of Stepmother A, who fatally beat her stepdaughter at their home in Namhae-gun, Gyeongnam last year, was dismissed. [Image source=Asia Economy DB]
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Se-ryeong] A stepmother who fatally assaulted her stepdaughter in Namhae-gun, Gyeongnam, was sentenced to a heavy prison term again in the appellate court.
The Criminal Division 1 of the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court announced on the 15th that it sentenced 41-year-old A, who was tried on charges including child abuse homicide, to 30 years in prison, the same as the first trial.
According to the court, A repeatedly assaulted her 14-year-old stepdaughter B at her home in Namhae-gun, Gyeongnam, on June 22 of last year, causing her death.
It was investigated that A assaulted B because she could not contact her after submitting divorce papers due to discord with her husband and agreeing to discuss child custody issues.
On the day of the incident, when B’s organs ruptured and her abdomen swelled, worsening her condition, A contacted her estranged husband C, who arrived home around 2 a.m. and checked on their unconscious daughter.
B was transported to the hospital via 119 at around 4:16 a.m. but ultimately passed away.
According to the indictment, A habitually assaulted B from August 2020.
A hit B’s head with a plastic toy because B did not eat snacks, vomited, and did not study.
She also struck B’s head and abdomen with fists and feet and pushed her, causing a roughly 3 cm laceration on her head, saying she did not obey.
At the time, B was about 150 cm tall and weighed only 36 kg, and it was reported that she lost about 5 kg rapidly shortly before her death.
The prosecution applied the so-called ‘Jeong-in Act’?an amendment to the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes?for the first time in indicting A.
This law stipulates that anyone who abuses and kills a child shall be punished by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for seven years or more.
In January, the 1st Criminal Division of the Jinju Branch of Changwon District Court sentenced stepmother A to 30 years in prison for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes and the Child Welfare Act.
She was also ordered to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program and was banned from employment at child-related institutions for 10 years.
Regarding the outcome, A’s side appealed, claiming, “It is true that I stepped on her, but I did not physically abuse her by rubbing or pressing,” and “I did not properly understand the child’s physical condition and had no intent to kill.”
The court ruled, “Although the victim was weakened by repeated abuse and unable to defend herself, the defendant strongly stepped on the abdomen, which is vital for sustaining life, and recognized that her actions would result in the death of her stepdaughter,” and “the original court’s judgment recognizing indirect intent is appropriate.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
