In the village of Serne in Zakarpattia region, a court sentenced a couple to death for the death of their 10-year-old son in May last year. This is stated in the verdict of the Mukachevo City District Court of Zakarpattia Oblast, reports UNN.
Details
According to the information provided, on May 13, 2024, a 31-year-old mother and her 35-year-old cohabitant, while intoxicated, decided to "punish" the child for allegedly stealing a phone and money.
The cohabitant, according to reports, tied the boy to a pole with a metal chain around his neck, securing it with a padlock, and handing the key to the mother. The child was released after 10-15 minutes, but the abuse did not end there.
According to the information provided, the woman, continuing the "educational conversation", poured a flammable liquid from a bottle on her son (according to her, not knowing it was gasoline). At that moment, her cohabitant was sitting nearby with a lighter, and a few minutes later, the boy burst into flames.
The parents tried to put out the fire themselves. After several hours of delay, the medics were finally called. The child with 80% body burns was taken to the intensive care unit, where the boy died a few days later.
During the hearing, the mother partially admitted guilt - in allowing the child to be put on a chain and the untimely call for an ambulance. She stated that she did not know about the danger of the liquid she poured on her son.
Court verdict
However, the court found both her and her cohabitant guilty of intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm that resulted in the victim's death, and of leaving the child in danger (Part 2 of Article 121 and Part 1 of Article 135 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
On May 15, 2025, both defendants were sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment. The decision can be appealed in the Zakarpattia Court of Appeal within 30 days.
Recall
In May 2024, police in Zakarpattia launched an investigation into the death of a 10-year-old boy from the village of Serne. Law enforcement officers reported suspicion to a 33-year-old man who, according to the investigation, after a quarrel with his cohabitant, deliberately set fire to the clothes of her 10-year-old son, causing burns that led to the child's death.
Earlier, UNN wrote that in the village of Bilky, a 70-year-old man is suspected of holding his 68-year-old wife on a chain for 10 days. Police released the woman and opened a criminal investigation.