- The 33-year-old was found guilty of all charges, including attempted murder
A woman accused of repeatedly beating and starving her son when he was 12, locking him in a dog cage and pouring cold water on him in freezing temperatures has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Austria.
The 33-year-old was yesterday found guilty of all charges, including attempted murder, by a court in Krems in northeastern Austria.
The mother was arrested in late 2022 after a social worker – reportedly called by the boyfriend – found the boy severely malnourished, comatose and hypothermic.
She was accused of repeatedly beating and starving her son between July and November 2022.
The woman allegedly doused her son with cold water while opening the windows of the apartment for hours in sub-zero temperatures, causing his body temperature to drop to a life-threatening 26.8 degrees Celsius.
A dog cage on display in a courtroom at the start of a three-day jury trial. The mother was found guilty yesterday by a court in Krems in northeastern Austria of all charges, including attempted murder
Before the trial, a police vehicle is parked outside the regional criminal court. The mother was arrested in late 2022 after a social worker – reportedly called by the boyfriend – found the boy severely malnourished, comatose and hypothermic.
A psychiatrist told the court that the mother – who suffers from a serious and persistent mental illness – had developed a ‘paranoid symbiotic relationship’ with her ‘manipulative’ friend.
Her 40-year-old boyfriend and alleged accomplice was given a 14-year prison sentence for encouraging her through instant messages and phone calls.
During the trial, which started on Monday, both women traded blame, with the mother apologizing for her actions and claiming she only wanted to “discipline” her son, according to Austrian news agency APA.
The chairman ruled that the boy was psychologically ‘completely destroyed’.
The mother’s accomplice told the court she was unaware of the extent of the abuse, despite their conversations proving otherwise.
The state government has also set up a committee to investigate whether authorities could have done more to rescue the boy earlier.
Dagblad Der Standaard reported that the boy had previously run away from his mother, but was returned to her.
Today’s rulings can be appealed. The court ordered both women to undergo therapy.