A dead newborn was found at a bus stop in Brzeziny in the Mińsk district. An 18-year-old from Ukraine admits that she gave birth and that she took the child to a garbage can. She claims that the child was born dead, which – according to an expert opinion – is not true. The prosecutor's office has charged the woman with infanticide, but does not rule out changing the qualification of the act to murder. The suspect was taken into custody
– On the second floor lived an 18-year-old Ukrainian woman who came to Poland two months ago. She was pregnant. She went into labor at night. The 18-year-old was walking between the second floor and the bathroom, which was shared by the residents. That's where the child was born – says Magdalena Wieczorek, head of the District Prosecutor's Office in Mińsk Mazowiecki.
The case is being handled by the District Prosecutor's Office in Mińsk Mazowiecki.Google Maps
The child was found by the police (illustrative photo) Shutterstock
The expert stated that the child was born alive.
He adds that the woman claims the baby was born dead.
– She wrapped it in a plastic bag and took it to a trash bin standing next to a nearby bus stop. The expert, contrary to what the 18-year-old says, stated that the child was not dead. It was born in the 37th week of pregnancy, was healthy, alive and capable of survival – notes Wieczorek.
At the hospital she told me where she left the newborn.
The 18-year-old began to feel worse after giving birth.
– Since she didn't deliver the placenta, she suffered a hemorrhage. An ambulance was called for her. After the hospital realized that she had given birth, she was asked where the baby was. She showed the doctor where it was. The police took the newborn out of the trash can. The child was already dead – says the prosecutor.
Various hypotheses are being investigated as to the cause of his death. “It may have bled to death because the umbilical cord was not cut. It could have suffocated in the shopping bag, or it could have been exposed to cold. We are waiting for the expert opinion,” our interviewee notes.
Prosecutor's Office: Possible change of classification of the act to murder
The 18-year-old was jailed for three months. She was charged under Article 149 of the Penal Code.or infanticide. The article reads as follows: “a mother who kills a child during labor under the influence of its course shall be subject to the penalty of deprivation of liberty for a term of between 3 months and 5 years.”
– However, it is not certain that the qualification of the act will not change and the woman will not be held responsible for murder. We can only speak of infanticide when the act occurred as a result of, for example, post-natal shock. If experts rule that out, she will be held responsible for murder – the prosecutor emphasizes.
The 18-year-old's relatives will be held accountable for obstructing the investigation
In addition to the 18-year-old, her cousin, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend were also detained. They are all Ukrainian citizens.
– They are suspected of obstructing the investigation. They covered up the traces of the delivery, cleaned up the blood. They denied that the 18-year-old was pregnant and that the delivery had even taken place. Preventive measures were applied to them in the form of a ban on leaving the country and police supervision. They face between three months and five years in prison. Other people who were in the hostel that night claim that they were asleep and did not know anything – Wieczorek tells us.
Main image source: Google Maps