On Tuesday, the Charleroi Criminal Court sentenced a mother of three children to a year in prison and €5,000 euros per child in criminal damages, as a consequence of her having abused them and left them malnourished. Unable to be located from the beginning of the case, she was also absent at the trial.
In 2016, following separation from her partner, the convicted mother and her three children were forced to stay in the Fernand Philippe home in Wanfercée-Baulet. Very quickly, the social workers responsible for the family became concerned for the children. Their mother was being very secretive as to what went on in their bedroom, the door often being closed. In reality, the children were only being fed chocolate milk and sweets. Their mother never prepared proper meals for them.
In October of the same year, the authorities intervened. After a sickness episode occurred in class, the teacher of one of the children made known to social services her suspicions regarding the health of the siblings. All three children were quickly admitted to hospital. They were suffering from iron deficiency, and the doctors diagnosed one of them as having anorexia nervosa.
The Brussels
