Turkish mother who left baby at home for nine days sentenced to life in prison for murder

KOCAELİ – Doğan News Agency

It was determined that the baby, who was identified as “Berk” during the legal process, died of starvation and thirst. DHA Photo

A woman has been found guilty of killing her two-month-old baby after leaving him alone at home for nine days, and has been sentenced to life in prison.

The 34-year-old mother, identified only as S.M.D., was working as a teacher at a primary school in the northwestern province of Kocaeli’s Gölcük district, and left her baby at home while she went to the southern province of Hatay to visit her family during the nine-day Feast of Sacrifice holiday in October 2013. When she returned, she discovered the baby boy motionless and took him to hospital.  

The mother was arrested by police when the doctors found that the baby had been dead for at least three days, immediately informing the police.

It was determined that the baby, who was identified as “Berk” in the investigation file, died of starvation and thirst. 

 “I loved my child. I did not do anything to hurt him,” the mother said in the hearing, pleading not guilty.

Her lawyer asked the court to allow a further investigation to find out whether someone should have been looking after the baby while the mother was away, but the court rejected his demand.

The Kocaeli 1st High Penal Court first sentenced S.M.D. to aggravated life imprisonment, before converting the punishment to life imprisonment due to the woman’s good conduct during the trial.