Juvenile prosecutors have notified the head of the department for prevention and protection of child rights of the children’s services of the Brovary City Council of a suspicion on the fact of official negligence that caused the death of a person, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine has said.
"The basis for the investigation was the tragic death of a two-year-old boy in Brovary this spring. On the evening of April 23, the child became ill. Despite the need for urgent medical assistance, the mother did not turn to doctors and did not take any measures to save her son. Subsequently, the boy died," a report on the Telegram channel of the prosecutor’s office says.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the woman tried to hide the child’s death, placed the body in a box, and hid it in a wardrobe. Law enforcement officers discovered the child’s body after the grandmother contacted them. The woman was notified of a suspicion under Part 3 of Article 135 and Article 166 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (malicious failure to fulfill duties for the care of a child or a person under guardianship), and she is currently in custody.
During the subsequent investigation, it was established that two months before the boy’s death, the children’s services received information about the mother’s improper fulfillment of parental duties, including alcohol abuse and a potential threat to the life and health of the children.
During a verification, these circumstances were confirmed. Specialists established that the family was in difficult life circumstances and required social support.
At the same time, the official responsible for organizing work to protect children’s rights failed to ensure that urgent measures were taken for the safety of the minors, did not initiate the issue of their removal from the dangerous environment, and did not ensure a proper response to the identified risks.
As a result, the children continued to live in conditions that posed a threat to their life and health.
Official negligence that caused the death of a person is qualified under Part 3 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and is punishable by imprisonment for a term of five to eight years.
