Couple starves baby to raise virtual child
by admin on May.30, 2010, under General all topics
Parents found Guilty Of Starving Baby To Death
While raising a Virtual Child online.
A South Korean couple ( SEOUL, South Korea ) were convicted Friday of starving their newborn daughter to death, while they addictively played an online game raising a virtual child.
The 41-year-old taxi driver, and his 25-year-old wife were sentenced to two years in prison, but the woman’s term was suspended because she is pregnant with another child.
The couple played at Internet cafes on average 10 hours every day and bottle-fed their baby only once a day, prosecutors said in an affidavit.
The baby girl was born prematurely and weighed only 5 pounds (2.25 kilograms), was often fed rotten formula and was beaten when she cried out from hunger, the affidavit said.
They found her dead when they returned to their home after an all-night gaming session last September the ruling said. They then hid at a relative’s home after a autopsy found the baby died of malnutrition.
“This constitutes an inhumane crime where the defendants abandoned even the most basic responsibilities as parents, and is unforgivable beyond any excuse or reason,” the Suwon District Court said in the ruling.
They said the mother will avoid jail time if she stays out of trouble for three years. The couple, who have only been identified by the surname, Kim, have seven days to appeal.
In a nation of 49 million, the case shocked South Korea and raised concerns over the severity of online gaming and Internet addiction. The government reportedly says there are 2 million “Internet addicts” in the nation considered one of the world’s most technologically wired.
June 1st, 2010 on 12:10 pm
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