SAMUT SAKHON – A four-year-old boy was beaten to death by his stepfather, reports said on Tuesday.
The victim's eight-year-old brother said he saw his stepfather, Parinya Thongkaew, tie his brother's hands and repeatedly beat him with a table leg. The man also smacked and stomped the boy.
The older brother said his stepfather threatened to do the same to him if he told anyone about it.
The boy's mother, Panawadee Thongkaew, said she took her two boys to live with Mr Parinya, her new husband, after she divorced with another man, Mr Nattapong, in April.
The mother said she always left her boys with their stepfather whenever she went outside her home.
However, a few days ago she returned home and saw bruises on her younger son's body. The stepfather told her that the boy had fallen down the stairs.
The following day, she was called home by the stepfather to take the boy to the hospital because the boy was having convulsions. The boy later passed away at the hospital.
The boys' parents reported their son's death to the police on Monday through the Paveena Foundation for Children and Women.
Police said they are seeking a court warrant to arrest the man for assault resulting in death.