A man in Taiwan has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for letting his sick mother starve to death after she was infested with maggots.
Chang Chih-chiang, 36, was convicted and sentenced Wednesday on charges of abandoning his mother, resulting in her death, the high court said. But he can appeal the ruling, the Shanghai Daily reported.
Media reports said Chang used to spend his time playing computer games at Internet cafes but ignored his sick mother despite living with her.
The coroner, after initial examination, said the 53-year-old woman had been dead for more than a week. She had not had any food for at least five days prior to her death.
The case came to light after Chang's wife contacted police last August after finding her mother-in-law, who was a diabetic and bedridden, dead in their apartment in Taiwan.
The visiting officials discovered the body, weighing less than 30 kg, infested with maggots -- the small white insects that look similar to inchworms but are actually fly larvae -- in a room littered with trash.
People, aged 65 and above, account for about 11 per cent of Taiwanese population.