Kypselí: Parents deny murder charge – seek psychiatric assessment
Lawyer Christos Psarras stated to ERT that his clients reject the charge of murder and dispute the findings of the forensic examination.
Kypselí: "Bad parents, not murderers" – what the couple's lawyer claims
The parents of the infant found frozen in a container and suitcase in Kypselí categorically deny that they are responsible for its death. According to the Newspaper of Editors, their position was presented by lawyer Christos Psarras speaking to ERT.
"There is a difference between being a bad father or a bad mother and being the murderer of an infant," Mr. Psarras stated, clarifying that his clients acknowledge that they failed to meet their parental duties adequately, but reject the charge of murder.
According to the defence, the child died from natural causes. The parents claim that they attempted to revive it without success, and that they subsequently did not part with its body.
Disputing the forensic examination and request for technical adviser
Mr. Psarras referred to the forensic examination included in the case file, noting that its findings lead to a specific conclusion which the parents dispute. For this reason, the defence wishes to appoint a technical adviser to evaluate the findings.
At the same time, the lawyer raised the issue of the mental state of the two defendants, emphasising that they must be examined by a psychiatrist and psychologist. According to him, there are health problems that may be affecting their behaviour and social adjustment.
Previous court intervention and questions about services
The lawyer confirmed that in the past a court decision had been issued which reprimanded the parents for the manner in which they exercised their duties. The decision provided for re-examination after one year, however, according to Mr. Psarras, the new incidents occurred before sufficient time had elapsed to establish compliance.
The other children of the family are now, according to him, "in a safe place under the protection of the state".
The lawyer raised an additional issue regarding the leaking of DNA test results from a public hospital. "There should be those held accountable in relation to this," he stated, asking that the response of state services to previous complaints about the family environment also be examined. As was highlighted in the discussion, the children had previously been transferred to Páidon and there had been reports of problems in the family.
Source: Efimerida ton Syntakton