A German woman was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday for cutting off her daughter from the outside world for more than seven years. The story is extremely tragic. When the girl was rescued, she had never played outside, had contact with another child or been to school.
Source: Belga
The liberation took place in September 2022, when the girl was eight years old. Since 2015, she has been locked up in her grandparents’ home in Attendorn, about 65 kilometers east of Cologne.
Grandma and grandpa complicit
The mother was convicted by the court in Siegen of assault on a person in her care, unlawful deprivation of liberty and failure to fulfill her parental obligations.
Her parents also received a prison sentence: the grandmother was suspended for two years and the grandfather was suspended for fifteen months, both for complicity.
Mother wanted child all to herself
The mother is said to have secluded the girl “to have her all to herself”. The father was led to believe that they had moved to Italy so that he would not come looking for her.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the girl suffered “significant psychological damage”. She was eventually freed after tips and is now living with a foster family.
A court spokeswoman said on Monday that the verdict was not yet final and could still be appealed.
