Father lets three children live in the forest and neglect them: now he has to go to jail
Mönchengladbach - After the cruel crime against his three children, the district court of Mönchengladbach has now put a family man behind bars.
Four years ago, the 50-year-old had left three children living in the woods for months and neglected them.
Today, Wednesday, the court found him guilty of dangerous bodily harm and breach of duty of care and is now sending him to prison for two years and eight months.
However, the verdict is not yet final, the judiciary announced afterwards. He had confessed during the trial that he had withheld contact with doctors and school from the children. He also admitted to chastising the two sons and the young daughter with a belt "in the name of God" when they disobeyed.
The trained nurse and welfare recipient described himself as a Christian fundamentalist.
Children in the care of the youth welfare office after their parents are arrested
When he was arrested in October 2020, he explained that he, his wife and children had moved into a tent for five months. The reason: high levels of pollution in his own home. The youth welfare office had previously filed a complaint against the parents for acute child endangerment.
When the parents were arrested, the officers noticed the dirty and visibly upset children. The youth welfare office eventually took the three children into their own care. The two suspects were deprived of custody at the end of September 2020.
Separate proceedings will continue for the mother.