Maxim Lyutyi, a Russian influencer who promotes a raw food diet on social media, has been jailed for starving his son on a “sunshine diet”. The 44-year-old was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony.
Maxim Lyutyi wanted his baby boy, Kosmos, to be like Superman
According to the court, Lyutyi wanted his baby boy, Kosmos, to be like Superman, but he died of “pneumonia and emaciation”.
The court condemned him for willfully subjecting the infant to a strict diet that deprived him of all types of vital nutrients and forced the child to spend hours only “feeding on the sun.”
Lyutyi was found guilty by a Sochi court of the intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm on the child.
According to The Sun, the influencer also stopped his partner, Oxsana Mironova, from breastfeeding the child. Mironova had previously stated that she was only a “slave” to his extreme diet partner.
According to news outlet Mash, Lyutyi would take the boy away from Mironova for days at a time and douse him in cold water to “harden him.” Despite his pain, the kid was not taken to a doctor.
Lyutyi pleaded guilty to his child’s death as a result of his “negligence
Mironova also claimed that her diet (as prescribed by Lyutyi) resulted in an iron deficiency, which caused complications for the infant, who weighed just three and a-half pounds when born.
According to lawyer Alexey Avanesyan, Mironova adopted a vegan diet several years before meeting Lyutyi. Premature babies, children of mothers suffering from iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy are at risk.”
Lyutyi pleaded guilty in his last court appearance to his child’s death as a result of his “negligence.”
“If I knew that my son was born prematurely, that his mother had contraindications for pregnancy, then at the first symptoms of the child’s illness I would immediately contact a hospital, regardless of the wishes and beliefs of the mother,” he said, according to The Sun.
He reportedly told a judge that he did not mean to harm his son and that he loved him. The father was also fined £860, which is approximately $1072. Lyutyi allegedly attempted to pin the child’s death on his partner.