Shaken Baby Syndrome: Parents in Vienna Charged with Attempted Murder of Baby
After her arrest, the mother accused her partner of being the immediate perpetrator. In a similar case that occurred shortly before Christmas in the federal capital, the public prosecutor's office has now charged the parents of a baby allegedly severely abused with attempted murder.
As confirmed by Nina Bussek, the spokesperson for the Vienna public prosecutor's office, to the APA on Tuesday, a corresponding indictment was filed with the regional court for criminal matters. The Vienna State Criminal Police Office began investigating the Syrian couple on December 20, after their then six-week-old daughter was brought to a hospital in critical condition with severe brain injuries indicative of shaken baby syndrome. The parents were taken into pre-trial detention in mid-January, and their other three children had already been taken from them due to imminent danger. The Vienna Child and Youth Welfare Service (MA 11) took over temporary custody and subsequently arranged crisis foster care for the three young children.
Forensic Report Confirmed Shaken Baby Syndrome
The suspect parents claimed after their arrest that they had nothing to do with the severe head injuries of their youngest child. The girl allegedly fell over her five-year-old sister and injured her head on her phone. An expert report obtained by the public prosecutor's office refuted this, as a forensic expert was able to prove the injuries typical of shaken baby syndrome in the little one: brain hemorrhages - so-called subdural hemorrhages - caused by the back-and-forth movement of the head, retinal hemorrhages, and bridging vein thromboses.
Father in Vienna Charged as Immediate Perpetrator
As the immediate perpetrator, the 26-year-old father will have to answer before a jury: according to the indictment, he allegedly violently attacked and shook his youngest daughter at least twice, which had acutely life-threatening consequences for the baby. The mother, two years younger, is charged as an accessory. She is accused of knowing about or witnessing the assaults and failing to intervene to protect the child's welfare.
The indictment is not yet legally binding. Any appeal would have to be reviewed by the Higher Regional Court (OLG) Vienna.
Baby in Vienna Suffered "Irreversible Brain Damage"
The little girl survived the injuries but has suffered "irreversible brain damage," as a specialist assessment of possible long-term effects has shown. The child also has to be fed through a gastric tube.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.