Parents freed after daughter's death in Skellefteå
Skellefteå district court acquits parents from prosecution for grossly causing the death of another after their daughter's death.
Quick Look
- The Skellefteå district court has acquitted two parents who were charged with aggravated manslaughter after their daughter died.
- The court does not believe that the parents should have understood that the child's life was in danger based on the symptoms displayed.
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Why It Matters
The parents were charged with aggravated manslaughter after their daughter died in an accident. The prosecutor argued that the parents should have sought care earlier.
Her life could not be saved.
The parents were charged with grossly causing the death of another, but are now acquitted by the Skellefteå district court. According to the district court, it has not emerged that the parents should have concluded from the symptoms that the child's life was in danger.
Was charged with causing the death of another
The prosecutor said that the parents have a special responsibility for their children and that it was a serious risk-taking when they did not seek care for the girl despite the symptoms.
- The forensic investigation suggests that the girl's life could have been saved if she had received treatment, prosecutor Henning Signarsson has previously told SVT.
The parents deny any wrongdoing
According to the indictment, a parent googled "when a child hits their head" during the night and received information that they should immediately seek care or call 112.
The parents have denied any wrongdoing and the defense has questioned the searches as evidence as the girl did not initially show sufficiently serious symptoms after the fall.
The District Court writes: "In order for someone to be held liable for causing the death of another, it is required that the perpetrator has caused the victim's death and that this has happened through negligence." But according to the judgment, it cannot be concluded that the parents realized that the child's life was in danger, or that they should have come to that conclusion.
- It is a terrible accident with two completely devastated parents, says the mother's defender, lawyer Jens Nyström.
Open Questions
- Will the prosecutor appeal the sentence?
