Algerian sentenced for dangling baby out of window ‘to get 1,000 Facebook likes’

An Algerian court sentenced a man who dangled his baby cousin out of a 15th-floor window in the capital Algiers to two years in prison on Monday.

The defendant posted on Facebook a photo of him dangling the baby out of a window with the caption, “1000 likes or I will drop him.” The child appeared to be in a state of fear and bewilderment.

After watching the video, many Facebook users demanded that the man be tried on child abuse charges.

The defendant carried out the horrific act allegedly to gain a high number of views and likes on the social media site.

He alleges, however, that the picture was photoshopped. Speaking to Algeria's Ennahar news site, the man said that the balcony had protective bars that were removed by Facebook users in the viral image.

The court was not convinced by the man's explanation.