Shaken Baby Syndrome - Vienna Prosecutor's Office Requests Pre-Trial Detention for Father and Mother

The girl was brought to the hospital in critical condition with severe shaken baby syndrome shortly before Christmas. The parents gave contradictory statements, which led to the police being called in. On Saturday, the Vienna public prosecutor's office applied for pre-trial detention, as spokeswoman Nina Bussek told APA.

Baby Fighting for Life

The baby is fighting for its life in the hospital. The investigations, which were taken over by the state criminal police office on December 20, are being conducted on suspicion of attempted murder, as police spokesman Philipp Haßlinger emphasized. The 26-year-old man and the woman (22) have been in custody since yesterday. Whether the couple will be taken into pre-trial detention could be decided on Sunday.

In the initial interrogations, the parents claimed that the five-year-old sister had stumbled over the infant, causing the injuries. However, further medical examinations revealed that older injuries of the two-month-old child were also detectable and the severity of the injuries could not be explained by the alleged fall, as the investigators of the Gradinger group from the LKA Vienna, branch office East Centre, have determined. According to police spokesman Haßlinger, older rib fractures were also found.

Arrests in Vienna-Brigittenau

Based on these new investigative findings, the public prosecutor's office then ordered the arrest of the parents, which was carried out by the criminal police. An interrogation of the Syrian father was not possible until he was admitted to the prison. The 22-year-old mother - also from Syria - continued to justify herself to the criminal police with the alleged fall of the sister on the infant. She was also subsequently taken to a prison.

In the meantime, the Magistrate's Department 11 (MA 11), responsible for child and youth welfare, has taken over the care of the couple's three other children. They were taken to a crisis centre, one of the children, who are toddlers, was placed in a crisis foster family, MA 11 spokeswoman Ingrid Pöschmann told APA. Since no relatives could be found, the three are still with the authorities. The children are doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances, said Pöschmann. The case has "caused concern," said the spokeswoman, who also praised the cooperation with the police. The family was not previously known to MA 11. Further investigations, especially whether violence was also used against the other children, are ongoing according to the police.

(APA/Red)

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