Mother gets 22 years for starving son to death

A 37-year-old woman was sentenced to 22 years in prison after she admitted to manslaughter and cruelty to a child for the death of her five-year-old son, who died four years ago from severe malnutrition.

High Court judge Susana Maria D’Almada Remedios described the case as heartbreaking and tragic, saying the boy endured prolonged and violent abuse, adding it is unbelievable that social workers from the Social Welfare Department did not notice the boy's emaciation and developmental delays.

The judge stressed that the defendant’s actions were not a momentary loss of control but a complete abandonment of maternal empathy, placing the crime among the most serious of its kind.

The boy, identified as Z, was found emaciated with sunken eyes, cheeks and torso, weighing only 9.7 kilograms at a height of 100 centimeters.

An autopsy revealed 129 external injuries, including bruises, scratches and abrasions, and concluded he died from prolonged starvation that led to organ and muscle atrophy.

Experts said he likely suffered 61 to 91 days of hunger, with signs of forced feeding, beatings with rod-like objects, and isolation.

Pediatric specialists noted his growth was far below normal standards, and his condition suggested long-term abuse including starvation, physical assault, binding, and denial of medical care and schooling.

The court heard that in the final days before his death, Z was struck with a cane and may have succumbed to arrhythmia or hypoglycemia.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓