A woman in her 30s has been sentenced to prison for neglecting her elderly, ailing father at home and causing him to die from severe malnutrition.
Incheon District Court announced that Judge Kim Gi-pung of Criminal Division 13 sentenced the 39-year-old defendant, surnamed A, to 3 years and 6 months in prison on charges of abandonment resulting in the death of an ascendant.
A was put on trial for failing to provide proper meals and neglecting necessary care and medical treatment for her 70-year-old father, B, at their home in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, from June of last year until July 22 of the same year, ultimately leading to his death.
Investigations revealed that B was in such poor health that he was unable to eat on his own or control his bowel movements, yet A did not take him to the hospital.
She even neglected him without giving him the rice and side dishes prepared by neighbors for B.
Meanwhile, A continued extreme neglect, eating meals alone on the building stairs.
Eventually, B died at home on the afternoon of July 22 of last year due to an electrolyte imbalance caused by malnutrition.
At the time of his death, B was in a state of extreme starvation, standing 170 cm tall and weighing only 34 kg.
Earlier in May of the same year, B had collapsed on the street while trying to find food outside and was diagnosed with generalized weakness at a nearby hospital.
Although the local administrative welfare center registered B as a case-management subject and provided emergency support such as delivered meals, A even blocked those efforts.
Four days before B died, when welfare officials visited, A bolted the door and refused to meet them, and she also drove away staff who visited on the day of his death.
The court explained its sentencing reasoning, stating, "Despite having the duty to support and protect her father, who was incapable of daily life and in need of treatment, the defendant neglected him for a long period, leading to his death. Given the duration of the crime and its unfilial nature, the gravity of the offense is very high."
Reported by Park Se-won | Video by Kim Min-ji | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
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