Woman jailed for shaking three-month-old baby to death

Woman jailed for shaking three-month-old baby to death
Credit: Pixabay

A woman who shook a three-month-old baby to death has been sentenced to five years in prison by a Flemish court.

Pregnant at the time, 29-year-old Dominique B. shook her friend's infant son so hard that the baby had to be hospitalised with head injuries in November 2018, according to HLN.

The child passed away in the hospital days later from what doctors established was abusive head trauma, or shaken baby syndrome.

B. reportedly lied to the baby's parents for months, telling her that she had gotten dizzy and fallen down the stairs with the baby in arms.

Doctors established that the infant's injuries were inconsistent with B.'s account of the events, and she was arrested in January shortly after giving birth, the outlet reports.

"I only know that it was never my intention," she said at the time of her arrest, adding that the baby's mother was like a sister to her and that she had chosen to lie out of fear.

She said she was very tired at the time of the events and that even though she "no longer knew exactly what had happened," she knew it was wrong, adding she will "have to live with that lie."

She was brought before the criminal court in Tongeren on Wednesday, which dealt her an effective prison sentence of five years.

Further proceedings next year will determine the extent of the damages caused by the events.

Gabriela Galindo

The Brussels Times


Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.