The uncle of the abused baby declares: the mother blamed the father for shaking the child
The brother of the investigated tells the court that the child's mother explained the scene to him
BarcelonaThe investigation into the case of the baby allegedly mistreated by its parents – and who had to be hospitalized for a month – continued to advance this Friday with the testimonies of the baby's grandparents and uncles. Among those who appeared was the accused's brother, who explained to the judge a scene that the woman had recounted to him on the phone. The father, "trying to give the child a "caress would have shaken him, and she reproached him, telling him: 'You can't do that,' and he admitted it, according to sources present at the declaration. The witness, the father's brother and the baby's mother's brother-in-law, added that it was the woman who alerted him.
considered kicking the father out of the house because he didn't take good care of the childwas considering kicking the father out of the house because he wasn't taking good care of the child. The witness – according to the whole family, the brothers had a very close relationship – asked him why he hadn't told him about this situation with his partner, but he didn't give any explanation and froze.
The child's uncle also explained that in the conversations he has had with him in prison, the investigated person has admitted that he "perhaps was rough" when he grabbed the baby's legs or when he wrapped him in a blanket. The man described his brother as a "brute" and a bit unconscious and a cold and unaffectionate person, but assured that he had never had violent attitudes or reactions, a sentiment that the rest of the man's family and the baby's mother's family also subscribed to. In the same vein, the investigated person's parents assured that they did not witness any wrongdoing by their son, about whom they said he was very excited about the birth.
Both the baby's father and mother are being investigated for alleged crimes of mistreatment, injury, and sexual assault. The man remains in provisional prison, and the woman was released on provisional liberty after distancing herself from him. According to legal sources, the woman has not contacted him since he was released from prison, and he has at no time expressed doubts about whether she is responsible for the mistreatment.
They refused visits at home
This Friday, the parents of the woman, her sister, and a cousin also testified. Like her, he also works at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital and consulted her via WhatsApp for references to private doctors who could attend to the child. In the same way as the rest of the family, they assured that the woman had shown concern about the child's health, but she never alerted them to any suspicion of mistreatment. The family was also unaware of any reproaches between the couple or that the relationship was not going well to the point that she had considered a separation.
A common point in the family members' testimonies was whether they had visited the baby often. The maternal grandparents explained that they practically did not see the child since he was born, and that during the last week before he was admitted to the ICU, they had no contact with him. They explained that the parents refused visits on those days, alleging that they "wanted to be calm" because the child was crying a lot.
Likewise, the paternal grandfather also said that during that week he did not visit the baby because his son told him it was better not to go, alleging that the mother was unwell. The child's paternal grandparents are separated and visited him each on their own, but both agreed that when they went, the mother was always sleeping and it was the father who took care of the child. Unlike the grandfather, the paternal grandmother assured that she visited the baby every Wednesday morning, including the one the week before he was admitted to the ICU, on Monday, March 16.
The family knew about the couple's journey through various health centers before being referred to Vall d'Hebron, a reference center for child abuse. Regarding the reason why they did not go to this center, where the woman worked, at first, they attribute it to it being a matter of privacy and that she had had a bad experience during childbirth.