The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a guilty verdict against a nanny for physically abusing and causing a baby girl’s death. It also upheld a sentence of 13 years in prison and compensation of NT$4.32 million (US$138,728) to the girl’s family.
The 37-year-old woman, surnamed Lin (林), was an accredited nanny and ran a daycare center from her residence.
In January 2017, the one-year-old daughter of the Weng (翁) family slipped into a coma while under Lin’s care and died in March.
During questioning, Lin said she grabbed the girl by her legs and shook her, and dropped her on her head on the floormat.
A postmortem examination found that the baby had brain hemorrhage and bleeding in her eyes, as well as internal injuries.
The Weng family filed a civil lawsuit seeking compensation.
During trial, Lin said she dropped the baby by accident while trying to stop her crying.
The first and second rulings found Lin guilty of causing death by intentionally inflicting injuries on a child and sentenced her to 13 years in prison and ordered her to pay the family NT$4.32 million.
Lin appealed the rulings.
Prosecutors also accused Lin of intentionally killing the baby and charged her with manslaughter, asking for a life sentence.
The court seized Lin’s home at the start of litigation and she later sold it for NT$2.9 million to pay for part of the compensation.
The Tainan City Government in 2017 revoked Lin’s nanny license, fined her NT$60,000 and banned her from working in childcare.
Lin also looked after other children at her center and charged the Weng family NT$15,000 per month, the court said.
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