Teenager Who Left Newborn to Die After Giving Birth in Restroom Gets Sentence Reduced on Appeal

A teenager who gave birth to a baby in the toilet of her home and left the infant unattended, resulting in the baby's death, has had her prison sentence reduced to a suspended term on appeal.

On October 14, Criminal Division 1 of the Suwon High Court overturned the lower court's ruling, which had sentenced the defendant, Ms. A, to a maximum of two and a half years and a minimum of two years in prison, and instead sentenced her to two years in prison suspended for three years, and indicted on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Child Abuse Crimes.

In addition, the court ordered her to complete 40 hours of a child abuse treatment program.

The appellate court explained, "At the time of the crime, the defendant was a high school student and was mentally and socially immature," adding, "She was unable to receive help from her boyfriend when she learned of her pregnancy or inform her family, leading her to give birth suddenly without proper medical care."

The court continued, "It appears that the defendant committed the crime because she failed to respond appropriately while in a state of psychological shock and anxiety immediately after childbirth," and stated, "Considering these extenuating circumstances, we judge the sentence of the lower court to be somewhat excessive."

Ms. A was brought to trial on charges of giving birth to a baby in the toilet of the master bedroom of her home in Gyeonggi Province in September 2024, when she was 17 years old, and leaving the infant unattended to die.

It was found that the baby was left unattended in the toilet bowl for about an hour at the time.

During the trial, the defendant's side argued that she was in a state of diminished mental capacity.

However, appealing the lower court's sentence of two and a half years in maximum prison time and two years in minimum prison time, which stated, "It does not appear that she was in a state of diminished decision-making capacity due to a mental disorder," the defendant appealed.

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