Michaël Letellier (36) was found guilty by the Hainaut Assize Court on Wednesday of torturing and beating his 15-day-old son Eden in Courcelles in 2023.
On 6 April 2023, the child was rushed to a paediatric ward in a state of hypothermia, his face covered in bruises, and an investigation was opened by the Office of the Public Prosecutor of Charleroi.
A forensic examination revealed extensive damage to the brain, and to vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, spleen and testicles. The baby also had four broken ribs. Doctors believe that a certain amount of pressure is required to break the ribs of a child of this age.
Medical experts assessed the level of pain inflicted by the father on his son at between eight and ten on a scale of 1 to 10.
Michaël Letellier, who was responsible for looking after the child on the day of the incident, was subsequently placed under arrest.
At the time of the incident, he was being held under an electronic tag. In 2016, he had been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment by the Hainaut Court of Appeal for inhuman treatment, attempted murder and assault and battery of his other son, Brandon, who was four months old at the time. The father, described as violent and angry, had trampled on the child's face.
In the case of Eden, Michaël Letellier claimed that he had thrown his son into a wheelchair and that the baby had fallen to the floor. However, this version was contradicted by forensic examinations.
