Stepfather in his 40s sentenced to heavy punishment for pushing 5-year-old son to death, blaming "jelly"...

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A stepfather who pushed his 5-year-old son to death has been sentenced to a heavy prison term by the Supreme Court.

On the 17th, the Supreme Court Division 1 (Presiding Justice No Taeak) announced that it upheld the original sentence of 12 years in prison in the appeal trial of A (41), who was charged with child abuse resulting in death and child abuse.

A was prosecuted last February for pushing his 5-year-old stepson B, who showed a mocking expression and a dismissive attitude, causing injury.

B hit his head hard on a marble floor and was immediately taken to the hospital, but was found to have died after five days. At the time, the doctor treating B reported to the Child Protection Agency after noticing bruises on his body, and A was urgently arrested on charges of child abuse.

However, in court, A's side argued that B likely died from other causes, such as "B lost consciousness and collapsed due to choking while eating jelly" or "B hit his head while playing at the playground before the incident."

The first trial sentenced A to 12 years in prison. The court at the time stated, "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 added, "The doctor who examined B and the forensic pathologist both testified that the injury was likely caused by a strong impact to the head."

However, A was acquitted of the child abuse charges. The court judged that the presence of bruises on B's face alone did not clearly prove physical abuse, and it was difficult to specify the timing of the assault.

A appealed the verdict, but the second trial dismissed it, stating, "He consistently made unacceptable excuses and denied his crime without showing remorse." The Supreme Court also agreed that this judgment was correct.

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