Parents and Afghan remanded in custody over death of baby in suitcase in Kipseli
The baby's parents and the 26-year-old Afghan were ordered remanded in custody, denying the charges. They claim that the knife wounds occurred post-mortem to break the ice.
Second remand in custody for three defendants in frozen baby case
All three defendants in the case of a baby found frozen inside a suitcase in Kipseli have been remanded in custody following the completion of their testimonies. According to Newsbeast, the second provisional detention order has been upheld, with the defendants maintaining their denials.
The 43-year-old father and his 38-year-old partner face charges of wilful murder of a family member in complicity. In their testimonies, the couple reportedly repeated that the baby died from pathological causes, challenging the findings of the forensic report.
The report states that the baby had approximately 20 knife wounds on its back, which it characterises as a criminal act. The parents contend that these injuries are post-mortem and resulted from their attempts to break the ice in the freezer where they were keeping the baby in order to transport it to their new home. In order to rebut the forensic pathologist's conclusions, the defendants appointed a technical adviser.
The 26-year-old Afghan stated he was unaware of the circumstances of the baby's death. He gave testimony regarding sexual acts with a person who had not reached 15 years of age — both before and after reaching that age — as well as on illegal possession of ammunition and false statements. The same offences also apply to the other two defendants.
The young Afghan was in a relationship with the family's 15-year-old daughter, who is pregnant. In his testimony he reportedly stated: "I was introduced as being 19 years old." He also mentioned that he visited the family home and that the parents knew of the relationship without anyone stopping him. When asked about the baby's death, he stated: "I did not know that there was a dead baby in the freezer."
It is recalled that the three defendants had been remanded in custody a few days earlier in a separate case involving drugs.
Source: Newsbeast