vFour and a half years after the death of 13-year-old Emily on a school trip to London, the criminal trial against two teachers began on Wednesday in the Mönchengladbach regional court. The public prosecutor's office accuses the 34 and 60 year old school trip companions of negligent homicide. According to the prosecution, as part of their duty of care and supervision, the officers should have asked all participating students about previous illnesses before the trip.
Since this was not done and they did not know Emily from class, the women did not know that the girl had been a type 1 diabetic for several years at that point and had to take insulin injections regularly. According to the investigators' findings, neither Emily nor her mother informed the teachers about the diabetes before the study trip, although it was noted in the school file.
Teenager died of a heart attack
During the journey, the girl neglected to take the necessary blood sugar measurements and administer insulin. Although Emily's health deteriorated quickly and fellow students turned to the teachers with concern, they are said to have not taken sufficient care of the girl.
According to the co-plaintiff, this would have been absolutely necessary even without knowledge of the girl's diabetes. It was only shortly before the end of the trip that one of the teachers called an emergency doctor. In a London clinic, Emily's condition initially seemed to stabilize, but on June 30, 2019, she died of a heart attack after extremely high blood sugar levels.
On the first day of the trial, the two teachers refused to get involved in the matter. The complex case has been preoccupying the judiciary for a long time. The fact that the trial even takes place is due to the persistence of Emily's father. Initially, he managed to get the discontinued investigations reopened. When the Mönchengladbach regional court refused to open the main hearing in February 2023, he filed an appeal. In June, the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court admitted the charges.
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