Boy, 3, died alone in agony after step-dad kicked him in the stomach

A little boy died after his step dad kicked him in the stomach and left him in bed to die.

Nikita Soshkin was allegedly brutally beaten by his step-father Sergey Lavrenov.

Police arrived at the boy's home to find the child lying on his bed with clenched hands.

He was crying and wiping tears off his eyes.

The three-year-old's organs had been ruptured and he died from internal bleeding a short while later.

The horrific incident occurred in the village of Presnovka, south-central Russia, in July this year

Lavrenov attacked Nikita at home after returning from a drinking session with friends, police said.

The drunk man kicked the boy in the stomach several times then dragged him to his bedroom.

Nikita’s 23-year-old mother Nadezhda Soshkina, who has three other children, went to check on the boy eight hours later and discovered his lifeless body, a court heard.

She said to local media: ''I went to him (Nikita) to wake him up and put him on the potty, but his body was already cold.''

According to Nikita's grandma Svetlana Lymar the couple only called emergency services several hours later.

She said: ''At around 6am they discovered the child was dead.

"Then the mother wiped the corpse with a wet rag and changed his dirty clothes.

'She (Soshkina) cleaned her house and only after that called an ambulance.

"She said to paramedics the boy fell out of the swing.''

Forensic examinations found that the boy died from internal bleeding after his small intestine was torn.

Soshkina later changed her testimony, investigators said.

Omsk Regional Investigative Committee concluded: ''In the evening on July 28 the boy’s parents were having alcoholic drinks with their friends.

''After returning home, the step-father kicked the child in the stomach for crying.

''The victim received severe injuries to his internal organs and died.

''The boy's mother, who knew about his trauma , did not call emergency services and did not try to help him.''

A week ago Okoneshnikovsky District Court charged Sergey Lavrenov with deliberately causing grievous bodily harm that resulted in death.

He was sentenced him to 12 and a half years in prison for the crime.

During the sentencing hearing, Lavrenov said to judges: ''I did not want it to happen this way.

"Alcohol is to blame for everything.''

A neighbour said that Lavrenov "did not love the boy and constantly beat him up".

The man punished the child "for everything" with "the tacit consent of the mother", one villager said.

Local officials are threatening to deprive Soshkina of her parental rights for her remaining three children, another son and two daughters, all aged under five.

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