A nationwide network which campaigns for joint custody after parents' divorce

The Parents And Children's Network

Return

YOMIURI ONLINE, November 26th, 2011

Mother hit four-year-old son and killed him
- Abuse report not acted on

On November the 26th, the Oita Prefecture Police Beppu Department arrested Rie Kinjo (37) who is unemployed and lives in Tenma-cho, Beppu City, on suspicion of causing the death of the four-year-old boy.

Police say that she admitted the charge that she hit him for discipline because he wet his pants. A report which suggested the boy was being abused was received by the city in May, but the city concluded it wasn't abuse.

Between 8:00am and 5:00pm on November the 24th, she intermittently hit the head, stomach and back etc of her son Shuma (4) with her hand and umbrella numerous times and consequently killed him, according to the police report. It was reported that she confessed she had been hitting him almost every day.

The accused was living with her eleven-month-old second son and de facto husband as well as the victim. It is said that the husband saw part of the assault. The accused visited the police department with her husband after 2:00pm on the afternoon of the 25th, and reported that when she got up in the morning, her son who had been sleeping together with her at a kotatsu was dead.

Original article