Dubai: The Iraqi judiciary on Sunday sentenced Athra’a Janabi to 15 years in jail for abusing and killing of her seven-year-old stepson, Musa Wala’a.
The Karkh Criminal Court heard that the young boy was subjected to brutal treatment by Janabi. She beat him with her hands and kitchen utensils, even going to the extent of smashing his head against a wall.
This violent abuse led to injuries which ultimately resulted in the child’s death, a situation described as the “abused child syndrome” by the Iraqi News Agency.
Previously, the stepmother had admitted to the relentless beating which led to Musa’s tragic death. New chilling details of the crime emerged earlier this month when Baghdad’s Anti-Crime Directorate shared more information.
In a confessional video, the stepmother remorselessly recounted her actions, stating, “I struck him so many times that I lost count. Despite his pleas, calling me ‘mama’, I forcibly shoved him, causing him to crash into a glass window which shattered from the impact.”
Adding to the heartbreaking narrative, the victim’s brother, Ahmed, revealed that Janabi also tormented him by pouring salt into his eyes and forcing his hands onto a hot oven.
Ahmed recounted the horrifying detail that his brother was often beaten with kitchen utensils.
Even in Musa’s final moments, Janabi displayed a lack of empathy, presuming he was merely “acting and lying” and neglecting him for several hours.
