Infant Body Found in Garden Basin: Court Upholds 3.5-Year Prison Term for Mother

The 1st-2nd Criminal Division of the Daegu High Court (Presiding Judge Wang Hae-jin) dismissed the appeals filed by both the prosecution and the defendant in the trial of the biological mother, referred to as Defendant A, who was indicted on charges of leaving her newborn son—just one day old—neglected in a garden, resulting in his death.

The lower court sentenced Defendant A to three years and six months in prison, ordered the completion of a 40-hour child abuse treatment program, and imposed a five-year employment ban at child-related institutions.

Defendant A is accused of giving birth to a baby boy at an obstetric clinic delivery room in Nam-gu, Ulsan, on January 9, and abandoning him the following day inside a rubber basin in a garden behind a house located along Saneop-ro in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, leaving him to die.

The crime committed by Defendant A came to light after a resident discovered the baby on February 21.

The court stated that the baby, abandoned by his mother just a day after birth, spent the night shivering and crying in the cold temperatures of minus 3 degrees Celsius (27°F) before tragically ending his life.

It added that citizens from all over the country who learned about the case submitted petitions urging severe punishment for the defendant.

The court further noted that upon a meticulous review of the records, it appears the lower court deliberated carefully and determined the sentence after considering all sentencing conditions, both favorable and unfavorable to the defendant.

It ruled that the arguments raised by both the defendant and the prosecution regarding unfair sentencing could not be accepted.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.