Mother convicted for locking up daughter in Germany

BERLIN – A German woman convicted of keeping her young daughter locked up at home for years was sentenced to five years in prison on May 4.

The woman, who had kept her daughter confined to the home of the girl’s grandparents, was found guilty of kidnapping, abduction of a minor and mistreatment of a vulnerable person, according to a court spokeswoman.

The grandmother was given a two-year suspended sentence for the same charges, while the grandfather also received a suspended sentence as an accomplice.

The girl, who is now 11 years old, was kept locked up for about seven years in the town of Attendorn in the Sauerland region of western Germany before being freed in September 2022.

The girl received neither schooling nor medical care during that time, according to prosecutors, who said the girl suffered severe developmental problems as a result of the isolation.

According to the indictment, the mother fabricated a story claiming she had moved to Italy with her daughter, and severed all contact with the child’s father.

The grandparents allegedly helped by running errands and spreading the false claims that the child was in Italy.

“The girl’s family was part of the community,” a resident of Attendorn told public broadcaster ARD, adding that it was “incredible that no one noticed”.

According to ARD, the mother attempted suicide at the start of the trial, which began earlier this year after numerous delays. AFP