The criminal court of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon judged this Tuesday, December 17, a rather rare case in the territory. A couple has been sentenced for leaving their 12-year-old daughter alone for a week.
The events took place in Miquelon at the end of September, beginning of October 2023. A couple left their 12-year-old daughter alone at home for a week. The mother goes on a medical evacuation, with her husband, her father present at the time, and the couple’s third child, still a baby. The little girl is left alone with groceries. Although she has regular contact with her family, she has to manage everything and will tell social services that she was afraid at night.
The couple, who were not present at the hearing, had clarified that the little girl did not want to go to the parents of a classmate in their absence. The prosecutor will point out that this matter is serious: “There are things beyond parenting that make common sense. Apparently [ce couple] is deprived of it, it’s a shame to have done that.”
Abandonment of a minor can be punished by 7 years in prison and a fine of 100,000 euros. Following the prosecution’s requisitions, the court sentenced the man and woman to 6 months of suspended prison time each.
Details from Martine Briand and Jérôme Anger:
©saintpierreetmiquelon
