In February of this year, the Pestovsky District Court announced a verdict in a criminal case against a Novgorod woman born in 2002, accused of committing a crime under Art. 106 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Murder by a mother of a newborn child). The defendant was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment, and the imprisonment was replaced by forced labor for a period of 2 years with the deduction of 10% from the convict’s salary to state income.
As the court found, on December 30, 2020, the then 18-year-old girl, while in the village of Khvoinaya, felt signs of the onset of labor. Knowingly not wanting the birth of this child, she went to the toilet and gave birth on the toilet, without taking any measures to assist the newborn. At the same time, she realized that leaving a newborn in the toilet without appropriate medical care would result in the death of the newborn.
The defense appealed the verdict to the Novgorod Regional Court. Having studied the case materials and heard the parties, the appellate court came to the conclusion that the punishment imposed on the convicted person was fair. The verdict was left unchanged and entered into legal force, the United Press Service of the Courts reported. The girl was punished to the minimum under this article (murder by a mother of a newborn child in a psychologically traumatic situation).
Let us add that such cases are not unique. Some women give birth without knowing they are pregnant at all.
Photo from the archive
