Latgale District Court closes criminal case over death of two-year-old boy who froze, after accused mother dies
Criminal proceedings over the death of a two-year-old boy in Lendži have been terminated after the accused mother died. The woman was previously sentenced to two years and nine months imprisonment.
Latgale District Court closes criminal case over death of two-year-old boy who froze, after accused mother dies
Latgale District Court has decided to close a criminal case related to the death of a two-year-old boy in the cold. The reason given is that the woman against whom the accusation was brought is no longer among the living, according to the Court Administration.
In a statement to the Interior Ministry's Information Centre, the court stated that the case had been returned from a higher instance and is not subject to examination because the accused has died.
Last year, Latgale District Court sentenced the child's mother to a form of punishment restricting freedom — two years, nine months and 28 days. She was found guilty of causing the death of a minor through negligence and cruel treatment. Two days spent in a detention cell were credited towards the total sentence.
The court ordered the woman to pay 2,900 euros to the child's father as compensation. The prosecutor had requested a harsher sentence — three years imprisonment and two years of probation supervision.
The events took place on 1 February last year in Lendži parish, Rēzekne municipality. The charge sheet stated that the woman, together with acquaintances, had consumed alcohol and insufficiently supervised her child. The boy, who was one year and eleven months old, frequently required supervision as he was already walking actively. However, the mother, whilst intoxicated, did not pay attention to the fact that her son could access alcohol in the house and freely leave the building.
According to the accusation, the boy woke up from an afternoon nap and, due to the mother's negligence, reached alcoholic beverages in the house. Later he went outside alone into the snow without shoes and warm clothing. After spending a prolonged period in the cold without help, the boy suffered from stress and low temperature. Late in the evening, the child was found beneath the snow with no signs of life. During the investigation, it was established that there was alcohol in the child's body.
Information compiled on the basis of news published by ReTV.
Source: Google News LV — Crime (lv)