The Bas-Rhin Assize Court on Wednesday sentenced a childminder to twelve years of criminal imprisonment. She was found guilty of causing the death of a six-month-old baby in her care, shaking him violently. This 24-year-old woman will no longer be able to carry out professional or voluntary activity with minors.
This mother of two children appeared free after a long investigation punctuated by numerous expert opinions and additional expert opinions. She announced her intention to appeal the decision. “I am sorry“, declared the former nanny from Marlenheim (Bas-Rhin) at the hearing on Wednesday morning, before the court retired to deliberate.I never wanted to intentionally harm Hugo. There isn’t a day when I don’t think of Hugo, of his family. I’m not a murderer.”
The facts date back to October 22, 2013. The childminder called the firefighters, panicked, around 8:30 a.m., indicating that the child was no longer breathing. He died in the emergency room. The nanny admitted to having shaken in panic because he had become “amorphous, like a rag doll“.
According to experts heard by the Assize Court, to cause death the shocks had to be “very violent”. The nanny changed versions several times.
