Aunt Sentenced to 7 Years for Beating 5-Year-Old Nephew to Death with Window Cleaner "To Discipline"

Court: "Neglected Duty of Care as Custodian"

On the afternoon of February 17, Aunt A, accused of assaulting her five-year-old nephew to death, appeared for a warrant hearing at the Jangheung Branch of the Gwangju District Court in Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] An aunt who fatally assaulted her 5-year-old niece under the pretext of discipline was sentenced to seven years in prison.

On the 12th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Jangheung Branch of Gwangju District Court (Chief Judge Kim Sang-gyu) sentenced A (40) to seven years in prison on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes (child abuse resulting in death) and other charges. She was also ordered to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program and was banned from working in child-related institutions for five years.

A was indicted on charges of repeatedly hitting her niece B (5), whom she was raising, with a glass cleaner stick at an apartment in Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, between the night of February 13 and 10:30 a.m. on the 14th, resulting in B's death. After vomiting, B collapsed in the bathroom and was found by other family members and taken to the hospital, but she died. Multiple bruises were found on her arms and back, and the cause of death was confirmed as traumatic shock.

A is also accused of physically abusing B by hitting her buttocks and calves or giving corporal punishment in November and December of last year.

A admitted to corporal punishment itself but claimed that it was intended for discipline because the child repeatedly lied, and there was no intent to cause death. However, the court judged that the abuse exceeded the limits of discipline and corporal punishment for a child as young as five years old.

The court stated, "The defendant neglected her duty of care as a guardian and committed abuse, which is a serious offense and highly socially condemnable. She was not forgiven by the victim's biological mother and showed an attitude of partially avoiding responsibility in court." It added, "However, considering that the defendant voluntarily became the guardian after the victim's biological parents divorced, that the victim's biological father and many others who observed the caregiving process pleaded for leniency, and that the crime does not appear to be solely due to the defendant's violent tendencies," the court explained the reasons for sentencing.