The little girl is now 7 years old. She has been placed with the Department’s children’s services since March 2019. She was just 3 years old when the doctor gave the alert. The child, visiting her grandmother, was starving, covered with bruises on her arms, legs, buttocks, mouth. A search was carried out a month later at the home of the ex-companion in Hayange, where the mother and the little girl resided. No child’s belongings had been found in the unsanitary apartment, only a small round mattress in a dark and narrow room, covered with excrement on the floor.
Parental authority withdrawn
The 35-year-old mother is convicted of violence and abuse. She takes three years in prison, one of which is closed. The two-year suspended prison sentence is subject to an obligation of work and psychiatric care. Finally, the Thionville Criminal Court withdrew parental authority. “To explain to you very simply: you are officially no longer the mother of this child”, adds the president to the announcement of the judgment on Tuesday. The 42-year-old ex-companion was sentenced to two years in prison, including one year suspended. The court followed the prosecutor’s submissions.
The prison sentences pronounced are a priori covered by the period of pre-trial detention already carried out by the defendants within the framework of the investigation of this case. Both will have to compensate the victim, up to 5,000 euros for the mother and 2,000 euros for her ex. They had denied responsibility during the trial in February.
The names are not mentioned to preserve the minor victim.
