The suspect in court
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Judge in 'starving mom' case: Boy looked like he just left Auschwitz
Jerusalem District Court judge says there is sufficient evidence to convict woman suspected of starving her toddler son; says footage from hospital shows her disconnecting son's feeding tube
Judge Moshe Ravid of the Jerusalem District Court said there was sufficient evidence to convict the woman who allegedly starved her toddler son.
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She was charged with several counts of abusing a minor under her care. Her son is now three-years old.
"There is enough solid evidence for a conviction. I have seen footage of the boy himself before and after (the starvation); he looked like someone who had just gotten out of Auschwitz," said the judge during Tuesday's hearing on the mother's detainment conditions.
Judge Ravid said footage taken from a surveillance camera at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital "shows the mother disconnecting the tube (that brought food directly to the toddler's stomach) and then wiped the floor so no one would be able to detect the leakage."
During the hearing, Attorney Tal Ben-Shahar for the prosecution presented the court with two police complaints: One that was filed by another prosecutor in the case who was threatened, and another from a social service worker who was assaulted by the mother's associates while she was visiting her home.
The prosecution claims that the mother should only be able to see her children an hour a day. According to Attorney Ben-Shahar, the defendant's confidence in herself and her innocence, without any signs of understanding the gravity of the claims against her, shows that she is dangerous.
Defense Attorneys David Halevy and Reuven Bar-Haim claimed during the hearing that separating the mother from her children will cause her and the children severe mental damage.
