A woman from Wevelgem, West Flanders, was sentenced on Tuesday in the Kortrijk court to a two-year suspended prison sentence for assaulting and injuring her four-month-old son.
The case was brought to light in March 2022, when a childcare worker took the baby to a doctor, due to suspicions that he had been abused. At the University Hospital in Ghent, several injuries were found, both recent and older.
"He was often dropped off at the childcare worker's in the morning with a full nappy and dirty clothes. The father had previously mentioned that there were difficulties in the family," said the prosecutor. "An investigation followed, which revealed that the woman was often aggressive. She regularly swore at her stepson, hit him and also attacked her father with pepper spray."
During the hearing, the prosecutor told the court about an incident where the woman "lifted the child out of his cot by one arm and shouted at her boyfriend, 'If you leave me, I'll drop him!', after which she threw him onto the sofa."
The baby was placed in foster care following the incident, which was witnessed by the 8-year-old stepson.
The 26-year-old mother denied that she had abused her baby. Her solicitor pointed the finger at the childcare worker. "My client did not want her son to go there; that woman was not suitable for looking after children," she argued.
However, the judge ultimately considered it proven that the injuries were caused by the mother.
The woman was sentenced to a two-year suspended prison sentence. She must pay her son provisional damages of €2,385.
