KYOTO, Japan, April 12 (UPI) -- A Japanese court Monday sentenced a man to prison for severely beating his 7-month-old son because his wife had scolded him for coming home late.
But the judge in the Kyoto court suspended the sentence against the wife who did not help the battered baby for two days after the beating, the Mainichi Shimbun reported.
The father, Kenta Koga, a 27-year-old part-time worker, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for the incident last August.
"Taking out your anger on a defenseless baby can only be described as a selfish motive," Judge Makoto Himuro told Koga.
Koga's wife, 27-year-old Yumi, was found guilty of neglecting her responsibilities but was freed after the judge suspended the sentence for four years.
Court records showed Koga's wife scolded him for returning home late. The man then punched the baby in the head and face several times.
