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Accused (left) in court with her lawyer: trial in Verden
Photo: Sina Schuldt / dpa
A mother allegedly poured hot water on her four-year-old daughter as punishment, causing the child to suffer life-threatening scalding and dying 12 days later.
Now the 25-year-old woman has to answer to the Verden district court for manslaughter by omission.
The presiding judge, Volker Stronczyk, said at the start of the trial that a conviction for murder by omission might also be considered.
Greed, cruelty and the concealment of a criminal offense are possible as murder characteristics.
Girl suffered from considerable pain
The public prosecutor accuses the woman of having poured hot water at least 55 degrees over the girl as punishment in August 2022 in Grasberg near Bremen – because she had defecated in her diapers.
The girl suffered severe burns on 35 percent of the body surface.
In the days that followed, the child repeatedly lost consciousness, said prosecutor Annette Marquardt.
Although the girl suffered from considerable pain, the mother did not see a doctor.
The woman is said to have accepted the death of the child in order to avoid "costs and debts" through medical treatment.
The burns were only treated with wound and burn ointments.
It was only twelve days later that the woman, who has two other small children, is said to have brought the girl to a clinic.
The four-year-old died there on the same day.
admission announced
The defense announced that the defendants would make an extensive written statement on the next day of the hearing, March 6th.
The woman has been in custody since August.
At the time of the crime, the accused lived separately from the children's father, who appeared in court as a joint plaintiff.
An acquaintance of the woman should also be held responsible.
The 17-year-old is accused of failure to provide assistance before the district court in Osterholz-Scharmbeck.
He is said to have regularly looked after the three children alone and been involved in punishment actions.
ptz/dpa