[Yonhap Photo]
A 39-year-old stepmother was sentenced to 27 years in prison Friday for abusing her foster son habitually with a strong oxidizer after locking him in a bathroom for three months.
The seven-year-old died after he was made naked, doused with freezing water and left alone in the locked bathroom on February 1 last year when he dirtied his clothes with excrement.
The death followed frequent abusing for three months that began in November 2015. The son had been locked often in the bathroom with his body sprayed with a powerful liquid toilet bowl cleaner called "Clorox".
Clorox contains sodium hypochlorite, a strong oxidizer commonly known as liquid bleach when dissolved in water. It is frequently used as a disinfectant and burns the skin or causes eye damages, especially when used in concentrated forms.
The son's natural father received a 17-year jail sentence for overlooking the woman's child abuse for fear of legal punishment.
In a lower court, the stepmother was given a 20-year jail term. On Friday, an appeals court in Seoul hiked the term to 27 years, citing her unrepentant attitude. The cold-hearted father buried his son illegally in a mountain.
"The victim had been in a dangerous situation days before he died, but they did not take proper measures to save him. It's tantamount to an intentional murder," the court said in its ruling.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
