One of her neighbours recognised the situation before informing authorities. Her dogs, as a result of not getting adequate care, were starved to death. The woman started playing the Small World game in 2009 and eventually became addicted to it. As told to the prosecutor she fed and took her children to school, she did not do anything more.
As a consequence to legal action, the mother was sentenced to six months in prison, barred from her work for two years and made to work for 75 hours without pay. She has also been prohibited to use the internet. Her defence lawyer said she sought solace in the virtual world after her husband passed away due to a heart attack, a few years back.
In a similar incident earlier this year in May, a South Korean couple who let their baby starve to death after becoming obsessed with raising a virtual daughter online, were charged with child abuse. The couple left their baby at home while they spent 12-hour stints at internet cafes in the city of Suwon.
