A mother who lives in Australia is currently facing prison time for almost seriously injuring her 7-year-old son. Rita Khatri, who was suffering from a mental health crisis, attempted to set herself and her son on fire after dousing their bodies in kerosene. Her son understood that what was happening was dangerous and tried to get help while Khatri continued to try to harm him. After her arrest, the court acknowledged her struggles, but also reminded her that she still needed to be punished for her actions.
On October 14, 2025, 36-year-old Khatri received a sentence of four years and eight months in prison, Australian website news.com.au reported. After initially being charged with attempted murder in June 2024, the charge was dropped when she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of recklessly endangering her son’s life.
During sentencing, Justice James Gorton, said Khatri attempted to set herself and her son on fire at a time of “great personal stress” in her life. In June 2024, Khatri, who is originally from India, found her second marriage ending. She had met her second husband online in 2023, which is why she moved to Australia with her son.
However, when their marriage broke down, her ex withdrew support for her spousal visa. Because she had no family in the country and couldn’t work, she panicked.
Khatri was seen on CCTV purchasing kerosene on June 26, 2024. She then brought it home and asked her son, “Do you want to play a game?” They both took off their clothes before the mom doused their bodies in the flammable liquid. Khatri then set their clothes on fire.
“You were crying, you told your son to go next to the fire and he refused to do so,” Justice Gorton said.
Instead, the young boy ran to the phone, calling emergency services for help. Audio recording of the phone call revealed that the boy was saying “Mommy, stop,” “don’t do this,” and “you’re hurting me,” the Herald Sun reported.
“Mommy, I don’t want to die,” the boy begged before his mother ended the call.
He then got away from her again, escaping the home and flagging down someone driving by. The boy clung to the car door, begging the driver to call the police.
“What are you f—ing doing, why are you doing this to me?” Khatri pleaded as she ran outside. She was soon arrested, telling police she had nothing to live for. Thankfully her son wasn’t burned, but he was treated at a hospital because the kerosene irritated his skin.
Two days after her arrest, Khatri was recorded on a prison phone telling her son’s caregiver to have the boy refer to what happened as an “accident.”
“Explain him a little that if you want your mother back, then you should stop all this,” she allegedly said. As a result, she was also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice. She pleaded guilty to the charge.
Justice Gorton told Khatri that he believed she wasn’t acting maliciously. “I accept your counsel’s submission that your offending was committed in circumstances of desperation rather than malice,” he said. He added that her actions were “a statement of some sort,” saying she sees herself as a “victim of circumstance” without taking responsibility for her actions.
It is likely that Khatri will be deported once she serves her sentence. Her son is now reportedly living with his father in Abu Dhabi.
