"Detective and Reporter Seem to Ask Predetermined Questions"... Aunt Accused of 'Water Torture Abuse' Expresses Injustice

An aunt (left) and uncle who abused and caused the death of their 10-year-old nephew are being transferred to the prosecution at the Yongin Eastern Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] Amid the application of murder charges against an aunt and uncle who subjected their 10-year-old niece to water torture and brutally beat her all over her body, causing bruises, it has been reported that the couple expressed feelings of injustice, saying, "It seems like both the reporters and detectives are asking predetermined questions."

When the arrest warrant was requested on the 9th, the police applied charges of child abuse resulting in death under the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, not murder, based on the revealed allegations. Later, on the 17th, the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency and Yongin Eastern Police Station applied charges of murder and physical abuse under the Child Welfare Act and sent the couple to the prosecution.

On the 17th, as the aunt, identified as A, left the Yongin Eastern Police Station in Gyeonggi for prosecution transfer, she responded to a reporter's question, "Do you admit to the charges?" by saying, "There is a lot I want to say, but it may not all be true, and it seems like the reporters and detectives are asking predetermined questions," expressing dissatisfaction and a sense of injustice regarding the investigation.

When asked, "Are you denying the investigation details?" she reportedly replied, "I think I did wrong, but I do not want to talk about it."

Earlier, the couple is accused of brutally beating their niece, B, with plastic rods and other objects for three hours from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the 8th, and repeatedly submerging her head in a bathtub, causing her death.

The abuse continued about 20 times from late December last year until the day of death on the 8th of this month, and the 'water torture' carried out on the day of death was found to have occurred once more on the 24th of last month. According to the police, the water torture lasted 10 to 15 minutes, during which the couple tied B’s hands and feet with string, held her feet, and repeatedly submerged her in water while counting "one, two, three." It was also revealed that the deceased B had searched on her phone for "COVID-19 symptoms" and "conjunctivitis," both after the two instances of water torture.

Meanwhile, although the application of murder charges made it possible to disclose the identities of the couple, the police decided not to disclose them following the decision of the Personal Information Disclosure Review Committee, citing concerns about secondary harm to the biological parents and the remaining children of the perpetrators.

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