Canton Man Burned Child With Cigarette 'In Anger': Prosecutors

CANTON, GA — A Canton man was sentenced to prison after being convicted of burning a young child with a cigarette, Cherokee County prosecutors said Friday.

A jury on May 16 found Lior Talker, 44, guilty of first-degree cruelty to children, and on Thursday, he received a prison sentence, the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office said.

Talker was first accused in 2004, when a counselor saw a circular burn injury on the child's center back and suggested a medical evaluation, prosecutors said. The child was younger than 10 years old at the time, prosecutors said.

The child was then taken to the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where doctors determined the wound had the traits of a cigarette burn, prosecutors said.

The trial against Talker lasted three days, and two children known to Talker and involved in the case testified in the trial about abuse allegations, prosecutors said.

“Trial evidence showed that the defendant burned the child in anger, pressing a cigarette into the center of the child’s back and holding it there,” Assistant District Attorney David Bailey, prosecuting attorney, said in a news release.

Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Shannon Wallace ultimately sentenced Talker to 20 years, with the first 10 years to serve in prison and the balance on probation, prosecutors said.

Talker also cannot come into contact with the victims and must have supervised contact with children younger than age 18, prosecutors said.

“Heartbreaking testimony during trial revealed a disturbing act of violence committed in anger against a vulnerable child,” Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in the release. “The court’s sentence appropriately reflects both the severity of the harm and the need to protect others from similar abuse.”

ALSO SEE: Get The Latest Local News (For Free!) With One Quick Tap