Stepfather jailed for life for abusing toddler to death; mother gets 19 years

New Taipei, March 7 (CNA) A man in New Taipei was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday for abusing his 2-year-old stepson to death, while the child's mother received a 19-year prison term for failing to stop the violence, according to a ruling by the New Taipei District Court.

The ruling can be appealed.

According to the verdict, the man, surnamed Wu (吳), repeatedly burned the toddler with cigarettes and later assaulted him, while the boy's mother, surnamed Chen (陳), failed to intervene.

Prosecutors said Wu burned the boy's chest and left arm with a lit cigarette several times at their home in Tucheng District on Feb. 6 last year.

On the evening of Feb. 17, Wu slapped the child five times, kicked him, and twice grabbed his legs, lifting him upside down before shaking him and throwing him onto a bed, causing subdural bleeding, retinal hemorrhage, and seizures.

Despite hearing the child crying and screaming, Chen did not stop Wu from continuing the assault, the court said.

The court added that Chen later noticed the boy had bruises on his forehead, pale skin and unfocused eyes, but still did not seek medical help.

The following morning, the couple left the child alone at home for about 12 hours while they went to work.

When they returned that night, they found the boy pale, convulsing and unresponsive, and rushed him to the hospital. The child died a month later after failing to recover.

The citizen judge panel said Wu repeatedly abused a defenseless toddler and showed complete disregard for the child's life and health, describing his actions as cruel.

The court also noted Wu had prior convictions, including domestic violence and obstruction of official duties, and had repeatedly clashed with detention center staff during custody.

Wu was therefore sentenced to life imprisonment and stripped of civil rights for life for intentionally causing fatal injury to a child.

Chen admitted during the trial that she had noticed the boy having seizures and had considered taking him to the hospital, but gave up after Wu objected.

The court said she failed to fulfill her parental responsibility and appeared to prioritize her relationship with Wu over the child's safety.

However, judges said Chen had admitted wrongdoing during restorative justice proceedings with the child's grandfather and expressed plans to divorce Wu.

Taking those factors into account, the court sentenced Chen to 19 years in prison for abandoning a child in violation of her duty of care, resulting in death.