On November 26, local time, the South Korean court issued a second-instance sentence on the much-concerned child abuse case "Jung In Case" and commuted the life sentence of Zheng In's adoptive mother Zhang from the first instance to 35 years in prison.
Previously, the prosecution recommended that the adoptive mother be sentenced to death.
In February 2020, 8-month-old Zheng Ren suffered long-term abuse after being adopted by a couple. Unfortunately, he died at the age of 16 months.
At the time of her death, she was found to have suffered multiple fractures and internal organ damage.
In January of this year, South Korea’s SBS TV station exposed this child abuse and death case, arousing public outrage.
The South Korean National Assembly subsequently passed the "Jung In Act" to increase penalties for child abuse.
On April 14 this year, South Korean prosecutors proposed to sentence Zheng In's adoptive mother to death.
The prosecutor pointed out that, judging from the evidence available, the defendant did not care about the health and safety of the adopted daughter. After the continued abuse caused the deterioration of the adopted daughter’s health, he still did not allow the child to seek medical attention.
Forensic doctors and autopsy doctors found that the defendant stepped on the adopted daughter’s belly again with his foot and was fatally injured when he was severely beaten and injured in the abdomen of the adopted daughter. This was the crime of indirect intentional homicide.
On May 14, the "Zheng Ren case" was sentenced in the first instance. Zheng Ren's adoptive mother was sentenced to life imprisonment and his adoptive father was sentenced to five years in prison.
(Making Yueziyan)
Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]