Girl, 3, beaten to death for wetting the bed
A man and his teenage girlfriend have been sentenced to a total of 61 years in prison after the young woman's daughter was beaten so badly for wetting the bed that she later died.
The jury delivered a guilty verdict after 17 hours of deliberations in the Brazilian municipality of Pocos de Caldas in the early hours of March 5.
The victim's stepfather, 27-year-old Christopher Anthony Tavares Coelho, was sentenced to 32 years, one month and 20 days in prison for homicide.
The victim's mother, 19-year-old Leticia Lopes Fonseca, was sentenced to 29 years, two months and 23 days in prison for the same charge, after she failed to help her daughter after the beating.
Ana Livia Lopes da Silva, 3, was subjected to a series of violent beatings by her stepfather for wetting the bed in June 2018, with the last and most violent which killed her leaving her with a nosebleed and causing her to have a suspected seizure.
She was found unconscious with difficulty breathing, and with swelling and bruises on her body by her aunt and grandmother, who are the family's neighbours.
The women took the youngster to hospital, where she later passed away, and her stepfather and mother were swiftly arrested.
The nursery that Ana Livia had attended had previously reported the couple to the authorities for earlier maltreatment.
The couple had been in preventive detention since their arrest.
with Newsflash/Australscope
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