The Uppsala District Court has stated that there is not enough evidence to prove that the child was in a state of starvation or severe malnutrition or that the foster parents limited the child’s access to food. Despite a doctor’s diagnosis that the girl suffered from “refeeding syndrome” due to prolonged malnutrition, certain blood markers were normal and the girl received enough nutritious food at preschool, so the court concluded that it is not proven that the foster parents withheld food. The foster parents were charged with abusing the four-year-old girl placed with them, but the court acquitted the man of assault allegations. Throughout the investigation, the foster parents have denied any wrongdoing and stated that no one had previously raised concerns about the girl’s condition. The prosecutor’s case relied mainly on hospital records, court certificates, and interviews with doctors.
The District Court considers that it is not beyond reasonable doubt that the child has been in a state of starvation or severe malnutrition, or that the family home couple has limited the child’s access to food, Uppsala District Court writes in the judgment on Wednesday.
Even if a doctor came until the girl ended up in a so-called “refeeding syndrome” due to prolonged malnutrition, there are circumstances that speak against that conclusion, the court believes.
Tests showed that certain markers in the blood, which are of great importance for the diagnosis, were normal. The girl has also taken in enough nutritious food at the preschool, and it is therefore not proven that the family home withheld food either.
– For the district court, it is clear that the child was not well when the diagnosis was made. However, the burden of proof lies with the prosecutor. The mentioned circumstances mean that it is beyond reasonable doubt that the child has been in a state of starvation or severe malnutrition, says Maria Hallqvist, chief councilor in a press release.
The family home couple was charged with extremely serious abuse of a four-year-old girl who had been placed with the couple.
The prosecutor suspected that the girl was exposed to starvation from late summer 2020, when she arrived at the family home, until June 2021.
The man in the couple was also charged with assault as he is suspected of having hit the girl on the hand so that a fracture occurred.
The district court also acquits the man of those suspicions in Wednesday’s verdict.
The foster parents have throughout the investigation denied any crime and believes that no one had previously raised the alarm about the girl’s state of starvation, neither BVC nor the preschool that the four-year-old attended, according to their defenders.
The prosecutor’s charge is based mainly on on hospital records and the court certificate showing the girl’s condition and interviews with the doctor.
Read more: Family home parents are prosecuted for starving a 4-year-old