A court in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State has sentenced a 16-year-old boy to 10 years in prison for the rape and murder of a toddler, sparking outrage from the victim’s family after authorities released his mother, who was accused of acting as an accomplice.

The Maungdaw District Court handed down the verdict on Sept. 4 under juvenile justice laws, which cap maximum penalties for underage offenders.

The teenager, identified as Maung Pauk Sa Chay, was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing his 2-year-old neighbor in Aung Thukha Village on March 16.

Following the attack, the suspect’s mother allegedly assisted in hiding the victim’s body in a sack.

The local Department of Law Enforcement and Public Security (DLEPS) initially detained both.

However, officials released the mother one month later, citing a lack of evidence.

The decision to release the mother and the short sentence handed to the youth drew sharp criticism from the victim's family, who announced plans to appeal to higher judicial authorities.

“The primary perpetrator who brutally killed a child was given only 10 years, while the court released his mother,” a male relative of the victim said. “This case lacks justice completely. We lost our daughter and failed to obtain true justice.”

While the family originally pressed charges for rape, robbery, murder, and concealment of a corpse, prosecutors proceeded only on murder and rape counts.

The trial featured testimony from 13 prosecution witnesses and four defense witnesses.

The sentencing highlights mounting concerns over judicial consistency in Rakhine State, where at least 13 cases of sexual violence against children have been recorded in 2026.

In a separate case in July, the Sittwe District Court sentenced a man to death for the rape and murder of a young woman in Ponnagyun Township, while handing 20-year prison terms to two co-conspirators.

Photo: Illustration