Prosecution: 'Starving mother' may have abused other children

Court asked to aggravate house arrest conditions of mother accused of starving her toddler son

Aviad Glickman

Published: 08.23.09, 15:39 / Israel News

Jerusalem's District Court heard Sunday that a woman from the Mea Shearim neighborhood accused of starving her son may have also abused her other children. The prosecution said it held evidence to this effect and asked to aggravate the conditions of her arrest.

Under Arrest

Court rules 'starving mother' to remain under house arrest / Efrat Weiss

Jerusalem District Court rules that mother accused of starving her toddler son will remain under house arrest. Prosecution believes mother must be held in official detainment facility until end of legal proceedings, consider appealing to Supreme Court. Haredi community threatens to riot if mother returned to jail

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The prosecution claims the woman abused her two-year old child in the same manner in which she had abused the toddler whose hospitalization brought about her arrest, citing intravenous needles mysteriously pulled from the children's arms and the covert administration of drugs.

It also cited a case in which the mother's six-year old daughter underwent a needless appendectomy at the former's request. The mother's uncle also testified that she would rub her son's bandages, and a nurse testified that she saw the son eating under the table, so as not to be seen.

The prosecution told the court that the new charges had not yet been added to the indictment because the children could not be interrogated, due to postponement by the mother and her family.

The court also heard testimonies the prosecution had acquired from various doctors and nurses, who said the mother would feed her son melon rinds and that he would gobble the food they gave him with relish – which helped them to realize he was being starved.

The prosecution also claims that the mother would disconnect IV bags and replace them with empty ones, thus causing doctors to fear that the boy's intestines could not handle food and stopping his feedings.

The doctors then planned to perform a bone marrow transfusion, the prosecution says, and despite her knowledge that the procedure was superfluous the mother did not say a word.

The prosecution is also continuing to claim the mother has Munchausen's disease, despite a psychological evaluation to the contrary, and says the children should be examined by a child psychologist.

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