Baby Found Dead in Garden Basin: Court Upholds 3.5-Year Prison Term for Mother

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

The lower court previously sentenced Defendant 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 restriction at child-related institutions.

Defendant was charged with giving birth to a baby boy at an obstetric and gynecological clinic in Nam-gu, Ulsan, on January 9, and abandoning him the following day inside a rubber basin in a garden behind a house located on San-daero, Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, leaving him to die.

The crime came to light on February 21 when a resident discovered the infant.

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

It added that citizens from across the country who learned about the case submitted petitions urging the court to strictly punish the defendant.

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

It ruled that neither the defendant's nor the prosecution's claims of unfair sentencing could be accepted.

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