Mother who locked her son, 12, in a small dog cage, beating him and torturing him by pouring cold water on him in freezing temperatures is jailed for 20 years in Austria

A woman who was accused of repeatedly beating and starving her son when he was 12, locking him in a dog cage and pouring cold water over him in freezing temperatures has been jailed for 20 years in Austria. 

The 33-year-old was found guilty of all charges, which included attempted murder, at a court in Krems in northeastern Austria yesterday.

The mother was arrested in late 2022 after a social worker - reportedly called by the friend - found the boy severely malnourished, comatose and suffering from hypothermia.

She was accused of repeatedly beating and starving her son between July and November 2022.

The woman is said to have doused her son with cold water while opening the apartment's windows for several hours in sub-zero temperatures, causing his body temperature to drop to a life-threatening 26.8C.

A dog cage displayed at a courtroom at the start of a three-day jury trial. The mother was found guilty of all charges, which included attempted murder, at a court in Krems in northeastern Austria yesterday

A police vehicle is stationed outside the Regional Court for Criminal Mattersprior to the start of the trial. The mother was arrested in late 2022 after a social worker - reportedly called by the friend - found the boy severely malnourished, comatose and suffering from hypothermia

A psychiatrist told the court that the mother - who is suffering from a severe and persistent mental illness - had developed a 'paranoid symbiotic relationship' with her 'manipulative' friend. 

Her 40-year-old friend and alleged accomplice was handed a 14-year jail sentence for encouraging her via chat messages and phone calls. 

During the trial, which started on Monday, both women traded blame, with the mother apologising for her actions and claiming she merely wanted to 'discipline' her son, according to Austrian news agency APA.

The presiding judge found the boy has been psychologically 'completely destroyed'.

The mother's accomplice said in court she had been unaware of the scale of the inflicted abuse, despite their exchanges proving the opposite.

The state government has also set up a commission to investigate whether authorities could have done more to rescue the boy earlier.

Der Standard daily reported that the boy previously ran away from his mother, but was taken back to her.

The verdicts from today can be appealed. The court has ordered both women to undergo therapy.