"Stole Money from Piggy Bank"…Vietnamese Mother of 7-Year-Old Child Tied Hands and Feet with Tape and Strangled, Suspended Sentence

Child Abuse / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A Vietnamese woman who abused a 7-year-old child by strangling the child’s neck for allegedly stealing money from a piggy bank was sentenced to probation.

On the 1st, the Criminal Division 1 of the Cheongju District Court Chungju Branch (Chief Judge Im Chang-hyun) sentenced Ms. A, who was indicted in January on charges of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act, to six months in prison with a two-year probation, according to Segye Ilbo.

Ms. A was also ordered to undergo probation and complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program.

Ms. A was tried on charges of tying the hands and feet of her 7-year-old child with tape and slapping the child’s left cheek once with her palm, after the child allegedly stole money from a wallet and a piggy bank in an apartment in Chungju in October 2019. It is also known that Ms. A strangled the child’s neck with a cellphone necklace string.

Chief Judge Im stated, “Ms. A committed physical abuse that harmed the physical health and development of the victim child, and emotional abuse that damaged the victim child’s mental health,” explaining that Ms. A’s actions were severe and had been repeated in the past, making imprisonment inevitable.

However, considering Ms. A’s circumstances as a child abuser and the caregiving situation of the children left alone, the court judged that a prison sentence was not appropriate and that probation and the treatment program order could be expected to prevent recidivism. No employment restriction order was issued.

Chief Judge Im said, “The defendant, originally Vietnamese, came to Korea through marriage, gave birth to the victim child, divorced, and raised the child alone while experiencing considerable economic and mental difficulties. Recently, she gave birth to an out-of-wedlock child with a Filipino man and separated,” adding, “We cannot help but sympathize with the harsh environment the defendant is facing, having to raise the child alone.”

He continued, “Fortunately, the emotional bond between the defendant and the victim child is maintained, and considering that if the defendant is detained, there would be no one to care for not only the victim child but also the newborn daughter, the execution of the sentence is suspended,” explaining the reason for the sentencing decision.

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