A 5-year-old boy in Hong Kong was subjected to long-term abuse by his mother, and was found dead with 129 injuries on his body and weighing only 9.7 kilograms. On Wednesday, the judge sentenced his mother to 22 years in prison, stating that the defendant had completely lost her maternal instinct, calling the acts appalling, and describing the boy's starvation as a prolonged and cold-blooded torture.
The boy lost consciousness at his residence in Sham Shui Po at the end of 2022, and was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital. The subsequent autopsy report indicated the deceased suffered from severe malnutrition, had been chronically starved, weighed only 9.7 kilograms, and had 129 injuries all over his body. The boy's mother, who had no fixed occupation and worked part-time, was identified as the perpetrator.
The deceased boy's 8-year-old sister told police that prior to his death, the boy had been locked in his bedroom by their mother for long periods, had to eat and urinate in the room, and was forbidden from playing with his sister.
The boy's mother was later arrested by the police. The 38-year-old admitted to charges of manslaughter and child abuse.
The defendant, who has a history of drug abuse, later admitted under caution that she had beaten her son with a cane or hanger, had noticed her son's sudden weight loss but did not realize the seriousness and therefore did not seek medical attention.
High Court Judge Linda Chan described the case as heartbreaking and said the boy was deprived of food, playtime and social interaction by the defendant. At the time of his death, he was covered in injuries and "skin and bones."
The judge pointed out that the defendant intentionally starved the boy to death, describing her conduct as cruel and a betrayal of the integrity expected of a mother towards her children.
The defendant showed no obvious expression when the sentence was announced. All three of her other children have been placed in foster care.
Additionally, Judge Linda Chan also criticized the social worker from the Social Welfare Department who followed up on the case for a long period, saying it was unbelievable that the boy's severe thinness and developmental issues went unnoticed; Legislative Council Member Mandy Tam called for the Social Welfare Department to review the case and asked if civil servant social workers involved would have their salary increments suspended.
It was also revealed in court that the boy's family had been continuously followed up by a social worker from the Social Welfare Department.
When sentencing, the judge said that a friend of the boy's mother noticed he was very thin, and that even though a social worker had conducted observations over 1001 days and the last home visit took place just about three months before the boy's starvation death, the social worker failed to notice his thinness and developmental delay, which was deemed unbelievable. The judge added that had the social worker detected these issues in time, the boy's life might have been saved.