Maxim Lyutyi has admitted to causing his newborn son's death due to starvation.
The Russian lifestyle blogger theorised his child would be able to survive and live by surviving only on sunlight as opposed to being fed food or milk. However, Lyutyi's plan massively backfired, and his son ended up with pneumonia and emaciation before he tragically passed away.
The baby, Kosmos, was not even a month old at the time of his death. Maxim will spend eight years in jail for the intentional inflexion of grievous bodily harm, and he has also received a fine of £860.
The 44-year-old confessed to his crimes in court last week before being sentenced on Tuesday in Sochi. He will serve his sentence at a high-security exile colony.
One source described the intention of Lyutyi's highly controversial actions, saying: "He wanted to experiment on the child, feed him purely with the sun, and then advertise it to others that this is how you can eat."
Lyutyi's partner, Oxana Mironova, has already been sentenced to two years of correctional labour after admitting her guilt and regret over the tragic events.
Lyutyi failed to admit his previous wrongdoings as he was looking to shift the blame solely on Mironova. He claimed that his girlfriend contributed to the baby's death as a result of having an iron deficiency.
Lyutyi was a long-time believer in very minimal diets that contain raw ingredients. At a court hearing, the Russian blogger said he wanted his son to follow a prana diet, mainly consuming sun rays and little food and water.
Despite his obsession with the consumption of minimal food, Lyutyi abandoned his beliefs when he was in custody as he was seen eating meat and pasta.
Mirinova's mother, Galina, highlighted how her daughter was mistreated by Lyutyi, stating: "Oxana lived there like a guinea pig. Each time, she became colder to me. She was his slave."
One of Mirinova's relatives also said: "Oxana told me that she was afraid of him. She wanted to leave him many times, but he held her back. He wanted to raise a man who only eats the sun."
Lyutyi disapproved of Mirinova giving birth in a hospital and instead organised a home delivery of the baby.
The 44-year-old prohibited his partner from breastfeeding as he believed the sunlight was enough for the baby to consume.
Mironova struggled to feed the child away from Lyutyi's sight. Also, she found it hard to afford baby food as her partner provided no money.
Galina had to take money out of her pension to ensure her daughter could afford some food for Kosmos.
The constant use of the blogger's controversial methods took its toll on Kosmos, with the weeks-old child developing breathing problems and suffering from exhaustion. Despite the frequent signs of the baby struggling, Kosmos was denied medical treatment by his parents.
As soon as the couple finally took their son to a hospital, there was nothing that the staff could do to save the child as he was severely malnourished.
