A 54-year-old nanny from Eernegem, West Flanders, and her 55-year-old partner are facing charges of involuntary manslaughter at the Brugge Correctional Court following the death of an eight-month-old baby in her care.
The incident occurred on 30 August 2022 in a former daycare facility in Eernegem. On that afternoon, the childminder discovered that the baby was no longer breathing, having allegedly suffocated due to a fault in the slatted bed base where the child was sleeping. Emergency services arrived too late to save the infant.
The Brugge division of the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office asked that the childminder and her partner be charged in the correctional court. According to the prosecution, the couple is accused of involuntary manslaughter due to negligence, particularly concerning the bed, which had been assembled by the childminder’s partner.
The defence has called for the couple’s acquittal. Lawyer Alexander Verstraete argued that all possible precautions had been taken and noted that the bed had been used without issue for ten years.
However, the council chamber decided that the couple had to answer to the charges in the Brugge Correctional Court.
The trial began on Monday morning, but at the defence’s request, it was immediately postponed to a hearing on 23 June, when a new date will be set.
