Parents in Germany sentenced to life for baby's death after she starved to just one kilogram

A court in the German city of Itzehoe has sentenced a couple to life in prison after they neglected their newborn daughter so severely that the girl starved to death. According to the newspaper Bild, the infant's body weighed only about one kilogram at the time of her death.

"This case is shocking," presiding judge Johann Lohmann said as he read out the verdict. The court found it proven that the parents had neglected the child's care to such an extent that it led to her death.

The tragedy came to light on September 26 last year, when an ambulance and, shortly after, police arrived at an apartment in the town of Brunsbüttel. Doctors were unable to save the emaciated infant, a girl named Ashley — she was already dead. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was starvation.

The following day, the child's mother, Vanessa H., and her partner, Kim Ole H., appeared before a judge, who ordered both of them held in custody. Prosecutors charged the couple with murder involving particular cruelty.

The couple also have twins, who were three years old at the time of the tragedy. Investigators established that the parents were well aware their newborn would not survive without sufficient food and fluids, yet they continued to withhold what she needed.

During the trial, the defendants claimed they had been completely overwhelmed by caring for their children. The man testified that in the period leading up to the infant's death he suffered memory lapses and was under constant stress with no support whatsoever. The dead girl's mother, for her part, said she had noticed the child losing weight only two weeks before her death.

According to witness testimony, the local youth and family welfare office failed completely in this case. Its staff visited the family several times but each time concluded that the conditions for the children were acceptable.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz