The Liège Court of Appeal decided to acquit a young girl who was being prosecuted because she had custody of Alyah, 16 months old when the latter died. The events occurred on the night of December 8, 2017 while the little girl was at Laurence’s home. The babysitter was 18 years old at the time. The child’s mother met the young girl to whom she entrusted custody of Alyah via the social network Facebook.
That night, according to the babysitter, the little girl fell and lost consciousness before coming back to her senses. The girl said he gave her yogurt and then put her to bed. The child regurgitated. Alyah was having difficulty breathing. The guardian then allegedly shook the little girl to try to wake her up. According to a forensic doctor, this act was not the cause of death.
The babysitter called the mother. She then called an ambulance. The emergency services tried to resuscitate Alyah for about an hour and fifteen minutes before having to resolve the dramatic death of the little girl.
In a deep depression since the events
Pending, the Liège criminal court has decided to acquit the young babysitter. An appeal has been filed. The young defendant never showed up at the hearing. She was represented by her lawyer, Me Sophie Gorlé. Me Gorlé explained that his client was not in a condition to stand an appearance before the magistrates. An analysis shared by a doctor since it is covered by a medical certificate. The girl’s parents were particularly affected by this tragedy.
“She told me that she had already looked after her nephews and nieces”, explained Alyah’s mother. “She looked after my daughters first twice during the week then three times. For six months everything was fine.” The mother spoke with emotion of the night of the tragedy. “She tried to call me around two in the morning and didn’t call for help until three thirty.” Me Sophie Gorlé, who defends the young girl, pleaded for acquittal, considering that the young girl could not be held responsible for this tragedy.
The magistrates followed Mr. Gorlé’s reasoning and decided to acquit the young babysitter. “My client is not the cause of the death of little Alyah, and the actions she took were only with good intentions.”, indicates Mr. Gorlé. “She is relieved that the Court explicitly confirms that she in no way wanted to harm Alyah.”
