Charges filed against three people for cruel abuse of an 8-year-old boy in a Zgierz foster family.
Charges Filed
The District Prosecutor’s Office in Zgierz on Friday (February 13) brought charges of cruel abuse against an 8-year-old boy against a 31-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man who form a foster family, as well as their 39-year-old acquaintance. The prosecutor requested temporary detention of the suspects due to the risk of tampering with evidence, as well as concerns that given the possibility of a harsh prison sentence, they might try to escape. They face up to 10 years in prison.
Statements from Suspects
Paweł Jasiak, a prosecutor and spokesman for the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Łódź, stated that the woman did not admit to the charges against her and provided explanations that, in the prosecutor’s assessment, are inconsistent with the evidence collected. The 39-year-old man, an acquaintance of the foster parents, also did not admit to committing the alleged crime but admitted to using various forms of corporal punishment, which he described as “educational.”
Abuse Discovery
According to findings, the family from Zgierz was spending winter holidays in the Myślenice district. A passerby filmed an 8-year-old boy with a phone who was outside in temperatures of several degrees below zero, dressed only in pajamas and socks, and then notified local authorities. After the report was forwarded by the Myślenice District Command, Zgierz police knocked on the family’s apartment door on February 11.
On site, they found a 31-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man who form a professional foster family for seven children aged 1 to 10 years. They were also accompanied by a 39-year-old man with his 8-year-old daughter.
Methods of Abuse
During the intervention, the foster parents claimed that the 8-year-old boy was not at home because he was staying with his aunt. These circumstances turned out to be untrue, and the boy entered the premises while the officers were still there. His body had numerous injuries, including on his head, back, chest, as well as on his buttocks.
According to the gathered evidence, various forms of physical and psychological violence were used against the victim: he was insulted with offensive words, beaten with wooden objects, as well as subjected to punishments consisting of kneeling naked with hands behind his back or standing outside in the freezing cold. Punishments were imposed on him for not finding underwear or for forgetting to walk the dog.
Child’s Testimony
Prosecutor Paweł Jasiak informed that the 8-year-old boy was heard in a “blue room” in the presence of a judge and psychologist. On this basis, an expert prepared a comprehensive opinion describing the injuries to the child. He clearly stated that they are related to domestic violence in a very severe form. All the testimony that the child gave in court today was also confirmed in the expert’s objective opinion.
Future Investigations
The remaining children will also be interviewed. If it turns out that they are also victims, the prosecutor will consider expanding the charges against the suspects. During the intervention, police established that the 39-year-old man present in the apartment, when upset, used to beat children and yell at them. All the wards, – a total of eight children aged 1 to 10 years (seven foster children of the foster family and the daughter of the detained 39-year-old) – have been placed under the care of other guardians in cooperation with the family court and social assistance centers.