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A 24-year-old woman has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for the fatal abuse of her three-year-old daughter in January 2016.
The Saitama District Court on Thursday found Ayaka Fujimoto guilty in the death of second oldest daughter Hazuki who suffered severe burn injuries, which led to her death, at their home in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, Fuji TV reported. Fujimoto also has a 6-year-old daughter.
Fujimoto’s 26-year-old common-law husband, Yuki Okawara, -- also charged over the child’s death -- was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison in a separate trial earlier this year.
Prosecutors said Hazuki’s death was the result of recurring domestic abuse that included scalding her and not giving her sufficient food. The court heard that on Jan 9, 2016, Okawara called police reporting that Hazuki's body was cold when he woke up. When officers arrived at the scene, Hazuki was lying face-up in her futon. She was confirmed dead at the scene.
The couple has admitted that they never took Hazuki to a hospital despite being aware that the child had suffered burn injuries. Fujimoto also admitted to scalding Hazuki's face with boiling water.
Besides burn injuries on her face, Hazuki's body bore traces of other scars and injuries, leading police to believe that she may have been abused on a regular basis.
Police subsequently questioned neighbours who said that at the end of 2015, they could hear loud children's cries coming from the suspects' house, often for up to an hour.
Police were summoned by neighbors on two occasions in June and July of 2015 after residents had witnessed the children locked outside the house. At the time, however, police found no signs of abuse on either child and no reports were made to the local child consultation centers.
During his trial, Okawara blamed Fujimoto for scalding Hazuki's face with boiling water when he wasn’t around. Fujimoto’s lawyer said his client had been stressed out from child-rearing and blamed Okawara, saying that he bore responsibility for not stopping Fujimoto from harming her child.
© Japan Today
13 Comments
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sensei258
Only 13 years for such a horrific crime? I know, at the end of that time right before their release, pour boiling water in their faces and then call it even.
nakanoguy01
an eye for an eye. you torture your child and kill her? you deserve the exact same punishment. these animals don't deserve to share the air we breathe.
gogogo
Burn in hell witch, don't blame others.
sensei258
"It's his fault, he didn't stop me from doing it". Stupid beotch, how could you do such horrible things to a defenseless little girl? Here's hoping you and he get lots of "jailhouse justice".
Speed
I'm glad the usual 7 year sentence wasn't handed down this time.
Although 12.5/13 years isn't that long for what they did, it could've been shorter and much more maddening.
smithinjapan
"Police were summoned by neighbors on two occasions in June and July of 2015 after residents had witnessed the children locked outside the house. At the time, however, police found no signs of abuse on either child and no reports were made to the local child consultation centres."
Jeez... lock the police up while we're at it! If they couldn't see the abuse of being locked up and what not, they deserve it, as do the social services. Shame on them. As for these monsters, 12 - 13 years is not enough for what they did.
Tamarama
You know, kids love and trust their parents to look after them and protect them, not torture them to death. Imagine how this dear little girl must have felt through this ordeal. It must be terrifying.
3 Year olds are to be guided and taught through that difficult year - that's your job as a parent. Not to abuse them to death for being a 3 year old.
Disgusting.
serendipitous1
Calling them animals is too kind.
602miko
Very light sentence 13 years it was like a vacation somewhere, why not 50 years so they can realized everything if they have conscience? but it seems to me they are a monster for torturing the little girl to death. RIP LITTLE ONE ....
Kobe White Bar Owner
reading this with my baby girl in my arms made me cry, may karma exist! Lower than scum!
Rightsided
sir_bentley28
How could someone be so cold to burn a baby's face with hot water? Do you know how painful that is for a baby? Karma never forgets.