A young mother leaves her sick son behind in her apartment. While she was having fun with her boyfriend, the child dies in agony.
Güstrow – A 24-year-old mother from Güstrow in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and breach of duty of care.
The judge at the Rockstock Regional Court explained that the defendant had accepted the risk of death and the possible death of the child because she had arranged to meet her boyfriend. The woman acted out of pure selfishness. Both the one-year-old son and his older brother were unattended in the apartment on the night of the crime.
“Children were a disruptive factor for you” – life imprisonment for gross negligence
The incident occurred in September 2021. The young woman's son fell ill with acute diarrhea at the time. Instead of caring for him, she strapped the child into a car seat and spent the night at her boyfriend's house – just one floor above her own apartment. As a result, the boy died of thirst and starvation.
She also neglected her then four-year-old son. “The children were a disruptive factor for you,” said the judge. As investigations have shown, the older brother was rarely brought to daycare. The mother kept making up excuses about this. The judge also spoke of official failures: “That Youth Welfare Services have completely failed here.”
“Only focused on the food” – the childminder at the time unpacks
“You could have interrupted her flirtation.” But she didn’t want to do that, the judge explains. Even when the mother returned to the apartment in the early hours of the morning, she did not check on her children. Instead, the woman lay down and slept until noon. Only after she woke up did she realize the 13-month-old boy was dead.
According to the coroner's office, the son died between midnight and 9 a.m. The cause of death: severe fluid loss and a clot in the pulmonary arteries. The expert also stated that the autopsy of the body “clear signs of starvation“have shown. The mother neither provided age-appropriate nor adequate nutrition.
“The child simply had to starve,” said the judge. After the child's one-time stay with her, the childminder reported that the boy had devoured two portions. He was like a “little tiger only focused on food”. The defendant's now six-year-old son has been living with the father of the family since September 2021.
Initial investigation into negligent homicide
After the child's death, the police initially investigated suspicion of negligent homicide. The defense attorney had also demanded a conviction for negligent homicide and a prison sentence of no more than one year and six months for his client. The sentence of life imprisonment is not yet final. (cln/dpa)
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