Supreme Court upholds verdict for child murderer

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by an Indonesian migrant worker found guilty of abusing and causing the death of a child, upholding a 12-year prison sentence handed down by a lower court.

The woman, identified by court documents as Fatimah, was found to have abused the one-year-old boy in February last year.

The child was placed in Fatimah’s care by the child’s mother, who is reportedly her friend and also from Indonesia.

Photo: Chang Wen-chuan, Taipei Times

While Fatimah was in her care, the child was struck repeatedly by hand and with a plastic bat, according to court documents.

There was also evidence that the child had been severely shaken, which along with his other injuries resulted in multiple hemorrhages and broken bones prior to death, the documents said.

When the child fell into a coma on February 7 last year, Fatimah only took the child to seek medical attention that evening after her boyfriend came home and discovered something was wrong with the child, the documents said.

The boy showed no vital signs when he was examined at a hospital.

During questioning after the child’s death on February 23 last year, Fatimah said the boy’s injuries were the result of a fall in the bathroom and the traditional Indonesian acupressure therapy she applied after the fall, the documents said.

In the first trial, the Taichung District Court found Fatimah guilty.

The court said that Fatimah displayed a poor attitude throughout the case, and that her inability to seek reconciliation or propose the payment of compensation to the child’s family was also taken into account in determining her punishment.

She was sentenced to twelve and a half years in prison, followed by deportation.

After an appeal, the Taichung Division of the High Court reduced Fatimah’s prison sentence to 12 years after taking into account the fact that she had pleaded guilty at trial and had no other criminal record in Taiwan.

Fatimah appealed for the second time following the Supreme Court ruling, which was overturned by the Supreme Court on Thursday and is not subject to appeal.

She would be deported after serving her sentence.