Parents are in the spotlight

Baby suffered shaking trauma: new details revealed

Drama in Vienna-Brigittenau: As the "Krone" learned, the police are investigating the parents of an infant. They are suspected of having severely abused their newborn.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com - Kadmy )

Investigators have gained new insights into the baby girl who was admitted to hospital in Vienna with a shaking trauma. While the doctors continue to fight for the girl's life, an application has been made for the parents to be remanded in custody. Further investigations, including into possible violence against other children, are ongoing.

The father and mother of an infant were arrested in Vienna-Brigittenau on Friday for serious child abuse. The girl was taken to hospital shortly before Christmas in a critical condition with severe shaking trauma.

Contradictory statements
The parents provided contradictory information, which is why the police were called in. On Saturday, the Vienna public prosecutor's office applied for pre-trial detention, as spokeswoman Nina Bussek said.

The parents made contradictory statements about the cause of the two-month-old baby's injuries (symbolic image).

(Bild: thinkstockphotos.de (Symbolbild))

Suspicion of attempted murder
The baby is fighting for his life in hospital. The investigation, which was taken over by the State Office of Criminal Investigation on December 20, is being conducted on suspicion of attempted murder, as police spokesman Philipp Haßlinger emphasized. The 26-year-old man and the woman (22) have been in custody since Friday. It could be decided on Sunday whether the couple will be remanded in custody.

Earlier fractures also detected
In the initial interrogations, the parents stated that the five-year-old sister had fallen over the baby, which is said to have caused the injuries. However, further medical examinations revealed that older injuries to the two-month-old child were also detectable and that the severity of the injuries could not be explained by the alleged fall, as the investigators of the Gradinger Group of the Vienna Criminal Police Office, Center East Branch, determined. According to police spokesman Haßlinger, older rib fractures were also discovered.

Based on these new findings, the public prosecutor's office then ordered the arrest of the parents, which was carried out by the criminal investigation department. It was not possible to question the Syrian father until he was taken to prison. The 22-year-old mother - who also comes from Syria - continued to justify herself to the criminal investigation department by claiming that her sister had fallen on the baby. She too was subsequently taken to a prison.

Drama in Vienna-Brigittenau: As the "Krone" learned, the police are investigating the parents of an infant. They are suspected of having severely abused their newborn.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com - Kadmy )

Siblings in crisis center
The municipal department responsible for child and youth welfare (MA 11) has since taken custody of the couple's three other children. They were taken to a crisis center and one of the children, who is a toddler, was placed with a crisis foster family, said MA 11 spokeswoman Ingrid Pöschmann. As no relatives could be found, the three are still with the authorities. According to Pöschmann, the children are doing well under the circumstances. The case had "affected us", said the spokeswoman, who also praised the cooperation with the police.

The family was not yet known to MA 11. Further investigations, in particular into whether violence was also used against the other children, are ongoing, according to the police.