Photo not directly related to article content [123rf]
Photo not directly related to article content [123rf]

A woman in her 30s who slapped a 2-year-old boy on the back after he knocked over her infant daughter was acquitted of child abuse charges at trial.

Suwon District Court Judge Ji Chang-gu of the second criminal division handed down a not-guilty verdict Tuesday against the woman, who had been indicted on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act.

The woman, identified only as A, was indicted on charges of striking the boy, referred to as B, once at a playroom inside a single-mother facility in Gyeonggi Province at around 6:40 p.m. on Feb. 15 last year.

At the time, B was sitting on a slide watching television. A's 15-month-old daughter, C, appeared to try to get B off the slide by pushing him from behind, but he did not move.

B then grabbed C's hands and shoved her hard, causing her to fall backward. A, who had been watching, walked over and struck B once on the back.

The court found that A's action did not rise to the level of physical abuse constituting child maltreatment.

"B was larger and stronger than C, and at the time grabbed both of C's hands from the top of the slide and shoved her hard, causing her to fall heavily," Judge Ji said. "A saw this and approached and struck him once on the back."

The judge added that the blow landed on the back, was delivered only once, and that CCTV footage did not appear to show a forceful strike.

On the red mark found on B's back, the court said it was uncertain whether the mark resulted from A's action, and that even if it did, it was likely due to the child's sensitive skin. "It is difficult to conclude from the evidence submitted alone that this constituted an act of abuse," the judge said.


bbo@heraldcorp.com