A Taichung woman who deliberately drowned her 2-year-old daughter during a suicide attempt off the coast of Miaoli has had a 13-prison sentence upheld by Taiwan's Supreme Court.
According to the Miaoli District Court, which handed down the original sentence in March, the woman took her daughter out into deep waters from a beach in Tongxiao Township with the intention of ending both their lives on Jan. 26, 2021.
The woman, who had turned off her phone to prevent her family from finding her, neglected to seek help for her now-unconscious daughter after being swept back to shore by strong waves, the district court said.
Police, contacted by the woman's family members, used recent phone data to track down the woman and her daughter at a beachside gazebo.
Despite rushing the woman's daughter to hospital, the 2-year-old was declared dead upon arrival.
Based on messages and testimony from family members, the district court determined that the woman had left her home on Jan. 25 with the intention of taking her own and her daughter's lives.
Her behavior should be considered as an adult intentionally committing homicide against a child in violation of the Criminal Code and the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act, according to the district court.
The woman, who claimed her daughter's drowning was accidental, had taken her case to Taiwan's highest court of appeal following a failed bid to have her sentence reduced by the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Court.
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Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel