Justice is appealing against the parents of a deceased baby from Helvoirt. They were convicted of manslaughter by the court in Den Bosch in early October. The boy, seventeen days old, died in February last year from malnutrition.
The parents have already been in pre-trial detention for more than a year and received a suspended prison sentence of almost two years. As a result, they did not have to go back to jail after the verdict.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) will appeal against the verdict. Justice believes that the parents are guilty of the death of their child. In fact, the Public Prosecution Service believes that the parents deliberately took their baby’s life.
The court concluded earlier this month that there was no intent. The judges stated that the parents actually thought that they were taking good care of their child.
The Public Prosecution Service does not agree with this either. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the parents deliberately did not consult a medical expert because they were afraid that their son would be removed from the home.
Mushrooms
The parents, Robert G. and Oleksandra G., made “wrong choices and ignored many red flags,” the judges said earlier this month. Yet the court then saw indications that the parents were actually trying to save their child.
“We thought we were capable of taking care of a child, but that was absolutely not the case,” the mother admitted. The parents had a fascination with mushrooms and were convinced that they would keep them and their baby healthy.
Resuscitation efforts
Polish Robert G. (40) called 112 himself on February 26 because his baby felt cold and was no longer breathing. Rescuers were unable to save the child, despite resuscitation attempts.
After birth, the baby was given mushrooms and soy powder in demineralized water, which is not suitable for consumption, by his parents. The couple’s life at the time revolved entirely around mushrooms, including hallucinogenic species.
They were convinced that according to Chinese teachings they could live a healthy and long life on mushroom powder – and that this would also be good for their baby.