Mother Who Threw Newborn in Toilet Saying "Can't Identify Father" Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

Application of Child Abuse Murder Charge Carrying Heavier Sentence Than Murder Charge

A woman in her 20s who secretly gave birth in a commercial building restroom and abandoned the baby in the toilet, resulting in the child's death, was sentenced to a heavy punishment under the charge of child abuse murder, which carries a harsher sentence than murder. It was reported that she calmly went to watch a movie with her boyfriend immediately after the crime, hiding what had happened.

Gwangju District Court

On the 11th, the 12th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Park Jae-sung) sentenced A (29) to 10 years in prison on charges of child abuse murder, ordering her to complete 40 hours of child abuse treatment programs and imposing a 5-year employment restriction.

A was indicted on charges of giving birth to a newborn at 29 weeks of pregnancy in a restroom of a commercial building in Gwangcheon-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju on May 22, and then drowning the infant in the toilet.

During the birth process, A left the newborn, whose head was submerged in the toilet water, unattended, causing the infant to drown. Afterwards, to conceal the crime, she moved the infant's body to the disabled restroom stall and abandoned it before leaving the scene.

The restroom where A committed the crime was located near her boyfriend's residence in a commercial building. It was investigated that on the day she killed and abandoned the infant, she hid the incident from her boyfriend and even went to watch a movie with him.

A was in a relationship with her boyfriend but had relations with another man, making it impossible to identify the father of the child, so she did not inform anyone about her pregnancy. Additionally, she had a history of giving birth while divorced and handing the child over to a facility. Fearing criticism from her family, she committed this crime.