An Indian-origin woman in the US has been found guilty of brutally assaulting her 12-year-old stepdaughter for nearly two years.
She now faces 25 years in jail after she was convicted on Friday of assault and child endangerment.
35-year-old Sheetal Ranot was found guilty of locking her 12-year-old step daughter Maya Ranot in her bedroom without food or even water for extended periods of time, the court heard.
In 2014, Maya was struck with a metal broom handle and a wooden rolling pin, which left her lying in a pool of blood with her wrist slit from a gash deep enough to reveal the bone on her left wrist.
Ranot's House in New York. Source: NY Daily
Doctors discovered Maya’s body was covered with bruises, cuts and scars, officials said. She was wearing dirty clothes and underweight.
“No child deserves to be treated in this manner,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. and charged Sheetal with first-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Ranot and her husband Rajesh, tortured the child for nearly two years in their house in New York.
Rajesh Ranot, the victim's biological father, is also charged with second- and third-degree assault, first-degree unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child, and will be tried at a later date.
“I’m glad that he’s caught,” said Ranot’s former in-law to NYDaily. “I’m relieved for the little girl.”
