Mechelen Criminal Court on Thursday found a 24-year-old woman guilty of letting her child starve to death. The child was found dead from severe malnutrition. His mother was sentenced to 15 months in prison with suspended probation and must undergo psychological support.
The woman was prosecuted for failure to provide necessary care on a minor with endangerment of his health, with the aggravating circumstances of the death of the child and the fact of being the mother of the victim.
On August 11, 2020, she found her two-year-old, four-month-old child dead. Emergency services arrived, but might only confirm the death. The police noticed that it was too hot in the apartment, the temperature reached 31.5 degrees. The apartment was messy and in deplorable hygiene. Dirt, leftover food, children’s toys, and even full diapers littered the floor.
As for the child, he was found in a crib without a mattress and wearing diapers so dirty that his buttocks were cracked. He weighed only 7.6 kg for 79 cm, a weight in large deficit for a child of this age. The medical examiner’s autopsy revealed that the toddler suffered from chronic and acute dehydration and malnutrition. The child’s mother said she put him to bed around 6 p.m. to let him sleep. It wasn’t until 4 p.m. the next day that she went to see him and found him dead.
The mother was sentenced to a probationary sentence of 15 months in prison and a fine of 800 euros. She will also submit to a strict follow-up to resolve her integration and her social problems. She will receive assistance with education and access to housing. His hygiene conditions will be monitored and alcohol will be prohibited.
