Stepfather Pushes Stepson to Death... "Because of Jelly" Excuse

Stepfather Claims "Jelly Caused Airway Obstruction Leading to Death"
Court Says "Absurd Excuses, No Remorse at All"

On the 1st, the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 11 (Presiding Judge Park Ju-young) sentenced A (40), who was indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, to 12 years in prison.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A stepfather who pushed his five-year-old son to death was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

On the 1st, the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 11 (Chief Judge Park Ju-young) sentenced A (40), who was indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, to 12 years in prison. He was also ordered to complete an 80-hour child abuse treatment program and was banned from working at child-related institutions for 10 years.

Earlier, on February 23, A forcefully pushed the head of his son B (5) in the living room of their home.

B hit his head hard on the marble floor and was immediately taken to the hospital but died five days later.

A, who remarried B’s biological mother in November 2017, brought B, who had been living with his maternal relatives, home and raised him from the end of last December.

It was investigated that A committed the crime out of rage because B behaved badly, talked back, and showed a mocking expression, ignoring him.

At the trial, A said, "I did not push my son's head hard." He further claimed that he took jelly out of his son's mouth at the time of the incident, and that it was highly likely that the son lost consciousness and collapsed due to airway obstruction by the jelly or died from other causes such as hitting his head while playing at the playground before the incident.

However, A never mentioned the fact that jelly was found in B’s mouth until the case was transferred to the prosecution for investigation.

The court said, "It is hard to accept that A, who was urgently arrested and detained on charges of child abuse, did not mention the cause of death at all until the police investigation was completed." It also rejected A’s claim, stating that all the doctors who examined B, the autopsy doctor, and the doctors who wrote the opinion stated that it was highly likely that B died from a strong impact caused by a large external force applied to the head.

The court explained the sentencing reasons, saying, "Considering that the crime was committed against a defenseless five-year-old child, that severe violence was inflicted to the extent that the brain shifted to one side, that he consistently denied the crime with absurd excuses and showed no remorse, and that there are circumstances suggesting suspicion that he frequently beat the victim under the pretext of discipline."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.