Baby boy kidnapped from Paris hospital found in the Netherlands
The baby will remain in a Dutch hospital until he is well enough to return to France
The baby was born prematurely and was kept in hospital. Photo for illustrative purposes only
Tanabora/Shutterstock
A prematurely-born baby kidnapped from a hospital in the Parisian suburbs last week has been found alive in Amsterdam.
The baby, named Santiago, was taken from the Robert Ballanger hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois (in the Seine-Saint-Denis department) last Monday night (October 21).
He was taken from the hospital – where he had remained in care after being born prematurely – by his parents.
A four-day hunt for the baby ensued after France raised a Europe-wide alert, before the parents and baby were found on Friday night (October 25) at a hotel in Amsterdam.
The baby has now been re-hospitalised in the Netherlands to receive the care he needs and will be returned to France when it is medically safe for him to travel.
The lawyer who will represent his parents told French media outlet BFMTV that the baby is healthy and is putting on weight.
Repercussions for the parents?
Santiago’s parents – Christina, 25, and Kévin, 23 – are currently under arrest in the Netherlands, awaiting extradition to France, where they face charges for abduction and deprivation of care.
The parents’ lawyer claims charges of abduction should not be brought against them, as they had not previously seen their role as the child’s providers/caregivers revoked.
“The mother was not refusing care, but she wanted to oppose the placement of her child [into a different hospital ward],” said lawyer Romuald Say Agh.
“if [Santiago's] placement had not been threatened, [the mother] would not have left with her child,” the lawyer added.
The public prosecutor in Bobigny, who will handle the case, provided a differing view.
“The abduction of a child by parents remains legally founded when their behaviour characterises an abuse of parental authority,” said Eric Mathais, the Public Prosecutor, although he did not cite a specific article in France’s penal code.
The charge of deprivation of care levied against the parents is based on Article 227 of the Penal Code.
“Parents can't take their child out of hospital; it's a case of subtraction or deprivation of care,” said lawyer Etienne Lesage to FranceInfo.
An unnamed source close to the case however said the parents acted out of fear of losing custody, in light of the mother’s issues around drug addiction.
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