Kept the Move Secret from Her Son
Suspended Sentence Granted for "Financial Hardship"
A woman in her 40s received a suspended prison sentence after secretly moving to a new home with her other children, leaving her middle school-aged son behind in their previous residence.
On December 20, Yonhap News reported that the Cheongju District Court’s Criminal Division 5 (Presiding Judge Kang Geonwoo) sentenced Ms. A, a woman in her 40s, to 10 months in prison with a two-year suspension, and ordered her to complete 40 hours of child abuse prevention education for repeat offenders. She was charged with abandonment and neglect under the Child Welfare Act.
Ms. A was brought to trial for moving on March 25 from the second floor of a rented single-family house in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, to the first floor of another house with her three daughters, leaving her 16-year-old son, B, behind. She did not inform B in advance about the move. After relocating, she even changed her phone number, thoroughly concealing the new address from B, according to the investigation.
On the day of the move, Ms. A also sent a text message to the previous landlord, asking, "Please have my son leave the house tomorrow." B spent three days in the unheated former residence, unable to eat properly, before he was discovered by the landlord and handed over to the police.
Judge Kang pointed out, "Given the circumstances of the crime and the subsequent events, the severity of the offense cannot be downplayed, and there is considerable room for criticism." He added, regarding the sentencing, "However, the defendant is also responsible for her three daughters and has been suffering from financial hardship for a long time, which was taken into account in determining the sentence." The prosecution has appealed the ruling.
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