This image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
This image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

A man in his 30s has been sentenced to prison for habitually assaulting his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter, who has a disability.

The Hongseong Branch of Daejeon District Court, presided over by Judge Jeong Woo-cheol, sentenced the man, identified only as A, to two years and six months in prison on charges including violation of the Child Welfare Act. The court also barred A from working at disability-related institutions for three years.

A was indicted for repeatedly assaulting and injuring his girlfriend's daughter, identified as B, age 5, at his home and other locations in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, from July to September last year, allegedly because she did not speak properly.

The abuse came to light in September last year after B's kindergarten teacher filed a report. Investigators faced difficulties, however, as B was unable to give a statement due to autism.

Bruises, scalp bleeding and rib fractures were found across B's body, raising suspicion of physical abuse. Despite this, A and C — B's biological mother and A's girlfriend — denied the charges, claiming B had been in a traffic accident or had fallen and bruised herself.

A maintained at trial that "I swear I never assaulted B," but the court rejected the claim.

The court said the injuries to the child could be traced to the period after A and C began their relationship, and that forensic medical opinion supported the conclusion that the wounds were unlikely to have been self-inflicted and warranted consideration of abuse. However, the court acquitted A on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery, finding that the specific implement used to strike the child could not be identified.

On sentencing, the court said A had assaulted a severely autistic 5-year-old child in need of special protection, striking the child across the body and leaving not only physical injuries but lasting psychological trauma. The court added that A had shown no remorse, concealing the crime and denying all wrongdoing, making a prison term unavoidable.

Meanwhile, C has also been indicted on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act through abandonment and neglect of a child.


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