Source : Perth Now news
WARNING: Distressing details. A Russian couple has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after subjecting their two-year-old daughter to prolonged abuse that ultimately led to her death.
Ekaterina O., 29, and Ilya A., 31, were found guilty of torture, illegal imprisonment and the murder of their young daughter, Sonya, carried out with what the court described as “particular cruelty,” according to The Sun.
According to proceedings in the Khabarovsk Regional Court, the pair confined the toddler in a homemade “small box with a lid” — likened to a coffin — for extended periods over five months, sometimes leaving her trapped for up to two days at a time.
“The child was unable to move, stand upright, or even sit,” the court was told.
Prosecutors said the couple kept their daughter in filthy, airless conditions and failed to provide even basic care.
“The cohabitants neglected the child’s care and hygiene, keeping her in unsanitary conditions,” a report of the hearing said.
They “deprived the girl of food and water, or fed her minimal amounts, resulting in the child’s death from severe protein-energy malnutrition.”
The abuse, which began in June, worsened as the child’s condition deteriorated. By October, Sonya was critically weak.
SHOT media reported that “the girl was barely alive, weighing half as much as she had in the spring – less than 10 kilograms”.
She became unresponsive and too weak to cry.
“For the last few days, the heartless parents simply watched their little girl die.”
The couple, from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, admitted their crimes in court. In a disturbing statement, they said their “unplanned” daughter “irritated them with her movements around the one-room apartment”, which measured just 28 square metres.
NTV channel’s ChP outlet reported: “Sonya was an unwanted child, and her parents – a 27-year-old woman and her 29-year-old husband – devised a way to get rid of her.
“They made a ‘coffin’ for the little girl – a cramped box with a lid.
“In it, the child could neither straighten up nor even sit properly.
“The girl was hardly ever washed, and in recent months, they stopped regularly giving her food and water.”
At the time of her death, Sonya weighed less than 10kg after months of starvation.
After she died, the pair attempted to cover up what had happened, claiming she had succumbed to illness. It was only when relatives saw the child and raised concerns that emergency services were alerted.
Police said the couple later admitted they “did not want it to be born, nor to be involved in raising it”.
The father will serve his sentence in a strict regime penal colony, while the mother has been sent to a general regime colony.
The case has triggered widespread anger in Russia, with many calling the punishment too lenient.
“A life sentence is not enough for them, never mind just 20 years,” one comment read.
“It’s time to bring back the death penalty.
“But in jail they will get water, food, and medical treatment.”
Another said: “Disgusting creatures, may they live out their worthless lives, slowly dying in agony since we have a moratorium on the death penalty for such freaks.”
Young people seeking support can phone beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or go to headspace.org.au.
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
