2024-01-09 12:39:00
The child was found on January 3, in a small, narrow room and immersed in the dark. The parents were placed under arrest warrant and charged with kidnapping and inhumane treatment.
The mother and stepfather of the child found in Marcinelle in a storage room pass in front of the Council Chamber. The 9-year-old child lived for weeks, even months, in a small, cramped room, without light. The parents were placed under arrest warrant and charged with kidnapping and inhumane treatment. The courts decide whether or not they should remain in detention.
The file is difficult and it raises many questions. How was this child, despite being in school, brought to live in such difficult conditions? Today, the father-in-law explains himself and expresses regret. “Monsieur is very unwell. I think he did not realize what was happening. Monsieur explains that he has been in deep depression for months and that it was only when he was confronted with the elements of file that he was able to realize the seriousness of certain acts which were committed”said his lawyer, Laura Glorieux.
He disputes certain facts, such as the beating of the child. Today, he is asking for release under an electronic bracelet and the mother, for conditional release, despite the seriousness of the charges.
“The charges are extremely serious, because they are committed against a weak person, that is to say a child, and a person over whom they had authority. These are facts which are considered very serious, the kidnapping and food deprivation are obviously the most important preventions”specifies the criminal lawyer, Etienne Gras.
“We have conflicting versions in this case, so we are waiting for the continuation of the investigation to be able to compare the different opinions and shed light on what happened”, underlines Laura Glorieux. The defendants explain that this confinement was in fact a punishment.
At the end of the morning, the decision of the Chamber of Council fell during the hearing. Both the mother and stepfather remain in custody.
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