Father Who Tortured Toddler With Legos Gets 10-Year Sentence, Prosecutors Say

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — A father who tortured his three-year-old son with scalding hot water and Legos has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office announced Tuesday.

Leonardo DeCouite, 24, repeatedly subjected his little boy to beatings with wires, cords and belts, and other painful tortures, in their Brownsville home between Sept. 1, 2015 and March 3, 2016, prosecutors said.

DeCouite forced the boy to kneel on Legos — small plastic blocks topped with tiny hard knobs — and held his hands and feet under scalding hot water, said prosecutors.

The boy’s mother, Kiana Mohansingh, 21, admitted to hitting her son with one of his own toys with such strength that she left his cheek bruised and swollen, according to prosecutors.

Authorities became aware of the three-year-old’s plight when Mohansingh’s mother found bruises on the boy and called police, prosecutors said.

A doctor who examined the toddler found he had lost some use of his left hand because his parents did not seek immediate medical attention for his injuries, said prosecutors.

DeCouite pleaded guilty to assault earlier in May and a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, prosecutors said.

Mohansingh also pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced on May 19 to six months in jail and five years’ supervision, according to prosecutors.

“Instead of caring for him, this defendant subjected his innocent little boy to repeated assaults,” said Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez of DeCouite.

“This horrific violence against a helpless child by his own father is disturbing and completely unimaginable.”

DeCouite’s attorney did not immediately respond to request for comment and Mohansingh’s attorney’s contact information was not immediately available.

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