BarcelonaA 42-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman have been in pretrial detention since last Friday, accused of habitual abuse, serious bodily harm, and sexual assault against their son, a child just over a month old, who has been placed under the guardianship of the Catalan government. The couple was arrested last Wednesday, March 18, and appeared before the Barcelona court specializing in violence against children and adolescents last Friday. The judge ordered them held in pretrial detention without bail, as explained this Monday by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC). Among the arguments put forward by the prosecution to request the parents' imprisonment were the risk that the abuse would continue and the possibility that the arrested individuals might choose to flee given the severity of the penalties they face. The prosecution also saw the risk that the parents could "violate the child's legal rights." For all these reasons, he requested pretrial detention and the suspension of parental rights as precautionary measures.
For their part, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) have confirmed the couple's arrest last week in Barcelona. Sources within the force have also explained that the investigation remains open despite the couple's pretrial detention, as they had no prior criminal record.
Evidence of assault
Medical staff at the hospital where the baby was treated raised the alarm after finding signs of sexual assault. The baby is now under the guardianship of the Directorate General for the Prevention and Protection of Children and Adolescents (DGPPIA), which reports to the Department of Social Rights. The DGPPIA has not yet specified what the baby's immediate future holds. Generally, when dealing with such a young child, efforts are made to prevent them from being placed in a foster care center, where at the end of January there were 5,200 children in care (60% of whom are separated from their biological families). Of these, approximately 300 are under six years old, according to estimates from the Catalan Ombudsman (Síndic de Greuges). will of councilor Mònica Martínez Bravo The goal is for children of this age to be with their families and not in a care facility. Normally, priority is given to the baby's extended biological family (aunts, uncles, or grandparents), but the most likely option is also for a emergency family, one of the forms of voluntary foster careThe family will take care of the baby for the next six months to allow the technical teams time to assess the situation, determine the child's condition, and propose the best course of action for the future. In practice, the stay with these families extends beyond six months and can last up to a year.
Murder in Manacor
A jury in the Balearic Islands reached a verdict this Monday in another child abuse case. The mother and uncle of a newborn girl were found guilty of murder for throwing the baby into a dumpster in Portocristo (Manacor) in November 2023. The child's aunt was found guilty of failing to provide assistance.
The woman went into labor in a car and did not request medical assistance, but called her sister to come and get her. Once she had given birth, the mother handed the baby to her brother-in-law, and they agreed that he would throw it in a dumpster. Both the mother and the uncle face a life sentence with the possibility of parole for murder, and the aunt faces a fine of 5,400 euros.