Mother Who Abandoned Newborn Baby, Whose Umbilical Cord Was Not Yet Cut, in Food Waste Bin Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

Court: "Bad nature of the crime but considering the intellectual level at the time"

On August 23 of last year, Ms. A, who abandoned her newborn baby in a food waste bin, is leaving Cheongju District Court after completing the pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] A woman in her 20s who threw her newborn baby, whose umbilical cord had not yet been cut, into a food waste bin was sentenced to a heavy prison term.

On the 21st, the Criminal Division 11 of Cheongju District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jin-yong) sentenced A (26), who was detained and prosecuted on charges of attempted murder, to 12 years in prison.

However, the probation order requested by the prosecution was dismissed.

The court stated, "The crime is very serious as the defendant mutilated the body of the newborn victim and left the baby in a food waste bin with the intent to kill," adding, "It cannot be ruled out that the victim may suffer disabilities and aftereffects from the crime."

However, the court explained the sentencing reasons by considering "that A admitted to all charges and showed remorse, had no prior criminal record, and that at the time of the crime, her intellectual level was at the level of an intellectual disability, which affected her judgment."

Earlier, A was brought to trial on charges of attempting to kill the baby she gave birth to at her home in Cheongju, Chungbuk, by abandoning the child in a food waste bin in front of a restaurant in Heungdeok-gu around 6 a.m. on August 18 last year.

Investigations revealed that before abandoning the baby, A inflicted injuries on the baby's neck and arms with scissors.

The baby, still with the umbilical cord attached, was rescued around 3 a.m. on August 21, three days later, after a citizen reported hearing a cat's meowing sound coming from the food waste bin. Police and fire authorities responded and rescued the baby.

At the time of rescue, the baby still had the umbilical cord attached and had a wound about 15 cm long from the right neck to the back. After being transferred to a hospital, the baby recovered health and is currently living in a child protection facility in Chungbuk.

A's family reportedly relinquished custody of the child.

During the trial, A pleaded for leniency, saying, "I was wrong to the baby and will live in atonement." After being detained and prosecuted, she also submitted a letter of remorse spanning about 100 pages to the court.

The lawsuit filed by the prosecution to terminate A's parental rights is scheduled to begin on the 17th of next month.

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