On Tuesday February 16, a nanny was sentenced for shaking a five month old baby.
The facts date back to 2015. A 5-month-old child has just been admitted to pediatric intensive care, and his prognosis is threatened. After a battery of tests, doctors see that he has symptoms of shaken baby syndrome. On June 1, 2015, the Lisieux prosecutor's office in Calvados was alerted by the Caen University Hospital.
The infant will eventually cope with a 30-day ITT.
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A child who is not in his usual state
The prosecutor opens a judicial investigation. The parents and the 37-year-old nanny are then interviewed. The mother then indicates that the child had already been hospitalized in March 2015, after having accidentally fallen from his deckchair. For her part, the baby's nurse claims her innocence. Furthermore, “Many laudatory testimonies on his professional and human qualities will be added to the file” indicates actu.fr.
She also told investigators that the baby had started to "whine" and had not been in his usual state for several days. “It went on like this all afternoon. I took him, I rocked him. He would fall asleep then wake up and start over. It was not the baby I usually knew ”, she says.
After being released from the hospital, the baby is placed in a home and then with the maternal grandmother. On September 14, 2015, he finally joined his parents and his big sister, three years old at the time of the facts.
“He almost died of willful violence”
The nanny then returned to her version of the facts with the investigators. She indicates that the child and his sister were dropped off at around 8 am by the father. “It wasn't until around 12:45 p.m., after taking his bottle, that he behaved unusually. While she had been away for a few seconds to go to her kitchen, she had heard him cry strangely. She had discovered him "soft", arms dangling, breathing with difficulty ”, indicates the sources of actu.fr.
Panicked, she asked her daughter to go get help from her aunt, also a nanny, who lives a few meters away. Seeing the child's critical condition, she decides to call the fire department and warns the baby's father. The couple quickly arrive at the scene and get into the ambulance.
For the family lawyer, there is no doubt. The child was shaken by the caregiver because he suffers from a subdural hematoma and retinal hemorrhage. “He almost died of willful violence”, indignant lawyer Maître Virginie Anfry.
The condemned nanny
According to examinations performed at the CHU, the child presented two episodes of head trauma and lesions. The first episode being much less important than the second. "Experts have found 'a small' non-accidental 'hemorrhage which could have occurred a month earlier, but which is unrelated to the second trauma". For the defendant's lawyer, it is possible that the conjunction of all these events could have caused symptoms reminiscent of shaken baby syndrome.
On Tuesday, February 16, the nanny was sentenced by the court to 24 months in prison, including 18 months suspended. She is prohibited from carrying out any activity in connection with children and must pay the sum of 4,200 euros to the parents.
Now almost 6 years old, the little boy has no consequences, but it will be necessary to wait until he comes of age to be sure.
What to do to prevent the situation from escalating with her child?
If you are overwhelmed by your child's crying and screaming (and it can hurt everyone, don't hesitate to ask for help or delegate to a family member or friend. Do not hesitate to take time alone to relax without a baby.
In addition, if you need to talk about it, you can contact a free help number such as the Parents in Distress association at 0 805 382 300.