Beijing: A mother in China killed her severely disabled daughter by giving her sleeping pills then smothering her, but has avoided jail after a court deemed it an act of mercy, state media reported.

The mother, Li Dahong, from a rural village, was broke and in total despair after 20 years of caring for her daughter, who suffered from cerebral palsy and could not even go to the toilet by herself, Xinhua news agency said.

"I was afraid I would no longer be able to look after my daughter as I m getting old," Li, 47,said in court as she broke down in tears, according to Xinhua.

After travelling from their home in eastern China to Beijing in a futile bid to look for help, Li reportedly gave her daughter 200 sleeping pills at a city hotel, then smothered her head with towels and a quilt while she was asleep.

The killing took place in January last year.

Li s elder daughter testified that her mother had devoted her life to caring for Xiao Fei, and neighbours in their home village in Jiangsu province wrote a letter to the Beijing court asking for mercy.

The family could not afford a lawyer, according to Xinhua.

The Beijing court last week gave Li a three-year jail sentence, suspended for five years, after taking into account the terrible circumstances.

Such sentences typically end up with those convicted serving no jail time.

"The court is convinced of the fact that the defendant has spent great energy and money on the victim, and the mounting psychological burden proved unbearable for her," the judge said, according to Xinhua.
Source : PTI