ngoshwe
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- Mar 31, 2009
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Web Addict Pair Jailed For Letting Baby Starve
A South Korean couple have been jailed after their baby starved to death while they raised a virtual child online.
Web Addict Pair Jailed For Letting Baby Starve Enlarge photo
The husband, a 41-year-old taxi driver, and his 25-year-old wife were sentenced to two years in prison, but the woman's term was suspended because she is pregnant.
The couple were addicted to the game, which saw them act as virtual parents, spending an average of 10 hours a day at internet cafes while only feeding their daughter once a day.
The baby girl was severly neglected and was beaten for crying.
The couple only discovered their baby had died when they returned to their home in Suwon, South of Seoul last September, after having spent all night at an internet cafe.
The autopsy revealed the child had died of malnutrition.
The court said: "This constitutes an inhumane crime where the defendants abandoned even the most basic responsibilities as parents, and is unforgivable beyond any excuse or reason."
The couple have been given a week to appeal the ruling.
South Korea is estimated to have over two million internet addicts in a population of 49 million.
A South Korean couple have been jailed after their baby starved to death while they raised a virtual child online.
Web Addict Pair Jailed For Letting Baby Starve Enlarge photo The husband, a 41-year-old taxi driver, and his 25-year-old wife were sentenced to two years in prison, but the woman's term was suspended because she is pregnant.
The couple were addicted to the game, which saw them act as virtual parents, spending an average of 10 hours a day at internet cafes while only feeding their daughter once a day.
The baby girl was severly neglected and was beaten for crying.
The couple only discovered their baby had died when they returned to their home in Suwon, South of Seoul last September, after having spent all night at an internet cafe.
The autopsy revealed the child had died of malnutrition.
The court said: "This constitutes an inhumane crime where the defendants abandoned even the most basic responsibilities as parents, and is unforgivable beyond any excuse or reason."
The couple have been given a week to appeal the ruling.
South Korea is estimated to have over two million internet addicts in a population of 49 million.
