Stepmother beats up 6-year-old boy after fight with husband, leaving his head 'square-shaped' and vision weak
A woman was jailed for 2 years after she brutally beat up her stepson, leaving him with black eyes and severe injuries.
Ludmila Simon, 27, apparently beat up 6-year-old Vanya in the village of Velyke, west-central Ukraine, a year ago, after having an argument with the boy's father, Ruslan Skorkin, 31, the Sun reported.
Both the parents initially didn't find it necessary to get the youngster the medical treatment that he needed. Instead of taking him to the hospital, the couple kept Vanya at home, hoping that he will recover from the ordeal on his own. However, the next day Vanya began feeling worse and he was finally taken to the hospital.
Seeing the 6-year-old's badly swollen head and puffy black eyes, doctors at Vinnytsia Regional Children’s Hospital were reportedly shocked. Apparently, the boy's head was “square-shaped from beatings” and he was unable to open his eyes properly.
Neurosurgeon Sergey Voloshchuk said: “The boy was admitted to the hospital in a grave condition. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, concussion and multiple bruises to his face, back and limbs.”
An anonymous source in the hospital said: “The child could barely stand on his feet and was covered with severe bruises all over his body.”
When authorities confronted the victim's parents, both of them lied to the authorities initially, saying that “the child fell from the bed while playing and injured himself.”
Only when forensic examinations proved that Vanya's injuries were inflicted by an adult did Skorkin fess up. He said he “was afraid of being deprived of parental rights and did not want Simon to go to jail”. He also told local media: “I came home and saw my son beaten to a pulp. Ludmila said that he fell and injured himself."
Simon was charged with torture of a minor and sentenced to two years in prison after confessing to attacking her stepson. After receiving the court's verdict, she said: "I understand that I’m guilty but the court’s decision is wrong and not fair.”
Following the ordeal, Vanya's vision is slightly deteriorated and he is now living with his grandmother, Natalia Oleksiychuk. “The boy is doing well now. He was glad to reunite with his younger sister, who has been living with me since her birth," Oleksiychuk said.