Reopening judicial investigation into ‘shaken baby syndrome’

The license of childminder FM was withdrawn by Kind en Gezin in June of this year after a case of Shakenbaby syndrome in Noa, another boy. He was also diagnosed with ‘shaken baby syndrome’. That judicial process is also still ongoing, but it forms the basis of new elements and additional statements against the two and a half year old case.

Due to the lack of hard evidence in the direction of the childminder, the case was closed without consequences. At the request of lawyer Kristiaan Vandenbussche, the court of Veurne is now reopening the file, and that is exceptional.

‘Jules still suffers the consequences after being shaken by someone’

On Friday evening, February 9, 2020, a babysitter picked up six-month-old Jules from the childminder. Not much later, the baby started vomiting and ended up in the hospital in life-threatening condition. There doctors diagnosed the ‘Shaken baby syndrome’, with brain damage as a result of the vigorous shaking. A skull operation followed at UZ Gent and today, two and a half years later, Jules – now a toddler – still wears an eye patch.

‘Hope for criminal prosecution’

Lawyer Kristiaan Vandenbussche submitted a petition to the prosecutor of Veurne with the request to dust off the file, and there was a positive answer. Jules’ parents want to know what happened to their son and hope that the childminder will still be prosecuted. “There are additional incriminating statements from other parents against the woman that make the old file stronger,” said their lawyer.

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