A judge in the US state of Missouri has sentenced a 70-year-old woman to seven years of probation for swapping her 17-year-old stepdaughter for a monkey. The woman avoided a prison sentence, although the judge said her actions were reprehensible and apologized to the victims for shortcomings in the state's adoption system. The New York Post reports. Judge Thomas Frawley, who sentenced 70-year-old Brenda Deutsch to probation, revoked her license to work with children.
A federal judge criticized Missouri state authorities for allowing the woman to maintain her status despite the act. The woman's biological daughter, Brina Johnson, said she was disappointed with the court's decision, as she had expected a harsher sentence. He also stated that the adopted girl whom Deutsche swapped with the monkey was present in the courtroom.
