A mother who locked her daughter in a dog crate and severely abused her been sentenced to jail for two years and six months. This judgment was announced by the Hanover district court.
The court is convinced that the 44-year-old has given her then six- or seven-year-old daughter at least seven shocks with an electric collar for dogs. In addition, she had beaten the child and locked them at least three times for a extended periods of time in a dog crate. The woman, who worked as a dog trainer, had also exposed her daughter as a punishment in the forest and let her run behind her car.
Daughter has a "complex disorder" as a result of her abuse during childhood. The now nine-year-old daughter of the woman will probably fight her entire life with the consequences of mistreatment, said Judge Stefan Lücke to the verdict. She has already spent six months in adolescent psychiatry. Even knocking on a door causes the child to crawl under a sofa for hours. In addition, she tends to self-harm and tear out her hair again and again.
The child was removed from the family in September 2017 after an occupational therapist became alert. According to her, the daughter confessed to a gymnastic ring during a therapy session and said that there was about as much space as in a dog-box.
The accused was sentenced to two years and six months. The defendant burst into tears at the verdict. The day before, she made a confession and admitted the allegations. The court emphasized that the confession was not filed until the end of the argument. Nevertheless, it had a positive influence on the judgment. At the beginning of the trial, the woman denied most of the allegations.
The verdict was ultimately on severe mistreatment of wards, deprivation of liberty and violation of the duty of care. The prosecution had demanded in her plea for five years in prison, the defense considered a sentence of two years on parole as appropriate. The woman's lawyer did not say if he wanted to appeal, but described the sentence of two and a half years as wise. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
