In France, a girl barely 16 months old has been declared brain dead, probably as a result of abuse by her 19-year-old stepfather. The man is accused of “commission of violence resulting in the permanent disability of a minor by a person in a position of authority”. That writes the French newspaper ‘Le Parisien’.
The drama took place in Douai, a city in the north of France. Last Friday afternoon, the emergency services were called in to resuscitate the girl. She was taken to Lille hospital, about forty kilometers from Douai, where she ended up in intensive care. She was eventually declared brain dead.
The mother of the child was not at home at the time of the facts and was therefore not prosecuted. The stepfather was taken into custody after being charged on Sunday with “violence that caused permanent disability to a minor, under the age of 15, by a person in a position of authority”. This was reported by the public prosecutor of Douai, Frédéric Fourtoy. According to the officer, the charges against the man will change as soon as the girl is declared dead, it still sounded.
The suspect is no stranger to justice. He has tested positive for cannabis in the past, according to the public prosecutor.
About thirty kilometers from Douai, near the Belgian border, the body of two-and-a-half-year-old Ruby was found in her mother’s apartment last week. The mother and her boyfriend are in pre-trial detention. The man is charged with the murder of a minor, while Ruby’s mother is suspected of not helping her daughter and not reporting abuse.
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