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Woman gets 9 years in prison over death of 2-year-old granddaughter due to neglect

9 Comments

The Sakai branch of the Osaka District Court has sentenced a 47-year-old woman to nine years in prison for child neglect resulting in the death of her two-year-old granddaughter who died after being found unconscious at her apartment in Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture, in 2022.

According to the ruling handed down to Mayumi Ono on Friday, the child, Yuha Ono, was found unconscious and bleeding from the mouth, in a playpen in the living room at around 5:20 p.m. on June 29, 2022, by a boy who called 119, Kyodo News reported. She was taken to hospital where she died later that day.

An autopsy revealed Yuha had died of heatstroke and that she was emaciated from not having eaten enough food recently.

Ono, who was Yuha’s paternal grandmother, and her common-law husband, Takanori Momota, 52, were arrested and charged with child neglect resulting in death. The couple said they had left Yuha in the apartment alone for about 11 hours while they went to Universal Studios Japan, with Ono's five-year-old son (by Momota). They said they left a window open.

Yuha had been living with her grandmother, Momota, her grandmother’s 15-year-old son and the five-year-old boy. Her parents lived elsewhere. It was the 15-year-old boy who found Yuha and called 119.

Yuha was placed in her grandmother's care after she was taken into protective custody in January 2020 because her father had been abusing her mother, according to a child welfare center. Yuha’s father said that he couldn’t take on a parental role for Yuha due to the abuse he himself suffered as a child.

When asked by the judge whether she thought of handing Yuha over to her biological mother, Ono replied, “It did not occur to me at the time.”

The court also heard that Ono stopped taking Yuha to a daycare center several weeks before her death and believe that she was repeatedly neglected.

Ono's trial was conducted before lay judges. Momota was tried last year and sentenced to six years in prison.

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9 Comments
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Theres something very tragic when the whole family is in such a mess. Obviously she didnt want to take care of yet another child of 2 at her age given she still has a 5yrs old son and a teenage one too who will now be left all alone, the older one wondering why he has to suffer such fate. Its obvious the court never asks whether those relatives want or cspable of taking care of other relatives children. Maybe if there was a facility for care of small children and they never rejected those victims of neglect not trying to pretend they never notice anything suspicious about parents so many little lives could be saved.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

It sounds like She was murdered through a series of pre-planned acts of abuse. Only 9 years of jail is disappointing for a case that involves planned murder of a child through torture and abuse.

Her parents are also responsible and they should get some jail time also. It’s unbelievable there are so many horrible creatures around.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Poor child was born into a completely dysfunctional situation from the grandparents on down. It's too late for her but at least they got to the murderers before any other children died. RIP.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Despicable family, appallingly weak sentence for the scum woman and her partner. For people like these - and the other child-killers we are seeing in the news - children are an annoyance at best, and despised most likely.

I wish the worst possible karma for this disgusting so-called "grandmother" and her child abusing de-facto husband inside prison.

Rest in Peace to poor little Yuha-chan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

When asked by the judge whether she thought of handing Yuha over to her biological mother, Ono replied, “It did not occur to me at the time.”

Is it wrong to say "retarded" when describing people like Ono?

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Another case of an "in family" murder of a child by those entrusted with care, and receive a relatively light sentence.

I'll say again - as I have many times on these topics - the big bogeyman "stranger-danger murders" attract most media attention and severe sentencing (and rightfully so as they are heinous), while the domestic murders seem to be in a "Well....hmmm...it's tough...." category.

Being killed by those who society deem to be a child's natural love and care giver, just seems to me about as awful as it can get.

IMO such acts of cruelty demand harsher punishment than the equally horrendous stranger murders.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Browny

being abused/murdered by a parent definitely way beyong terrifying. At least strangers you could say are just sick in their mind and everyone is more or less equal in chances to face them but when its your family you are doomed and it feels much terrible

2 ( +2 / -0 )

“The father said he couldn’t take her for reasons” why was he even asked?! The guy was out of the picture for abusing his wife so much she had to be put into protective custody!

Everything about this is a mess

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Who leaves a 2 year old alone for 11 hours?? Also who goes to to any amusement park for 11 hours? Why did she not just bring the 2 year with her? Did she really believe that a 2 year old was capable of taking care of itself? Also how old was the biological mother? 47 is pretty young to be a grand mother already.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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