Stepfather sentenced to life for systematic torture and murder of infant - Prosecutor General
Kyiv • UNN
The court sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of his 8-month-old stepson in Kirovohrad Oblast. The stepfather systematically tortured the child and repeatedly slammed his head against the wall.
A man who, while intoxicated, killed his 8-month-old stepson, received a life sentence. The Court of Appeal made the decision after the prosecutor's office appealed the first instance's overly lenient verdict. As reported by Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko, for years the accused denied guilt and tried to shift responsibility to the mother, UNN reports.
As the Prosecutor General reported, the child spent the last month of his life in unbearable torment, as the stepfather systematically abused the infant: beating, throwing, and extinguishing cigarette butts on his skin.
8 months. That's how long the boy from Kirovohrad region lived, who was killed by his stepfather. He didn't get to take his first step. He didn't get to say his first word. The last month of his life, the child spent in unbearable torment. The man systematically abused the infant: he beat him, threw him, extinguished cigarette butts on his skin, overturned the stroller with the child in it. And one day, while intoxicated, he hit the baby's head against the wall several times. The boy died that same day.
According to him, the examination confirmed: it was not a one-time act of violence, but prolonged torture. Experts recorded numerous burns, hematomas, and abrasions on the child's body.
However, for years the accused denied guilt and tried to shift responsibility to the mother.
The court of first instance sentenced him to 15 years in prison. I consider this punishment disproportionate to the crime committed. The prosecutor's office filed an appeal. And we proved: there can be no compromises for such crimes. The Court of Appeal overturned the verdict as too lenient and imposed a life sentence.
The Prosecutor General emphasized that justice is not about emotions. It is about the principle: everyone who raises a hand against a child must know that the state's response will be as harsh as possible.
A life sentence is the maximum penalty provided by law. But even it cannot fully restore justice.