PARIS, Jan 31 (Bernama-dpa) -- A former daycare worker in France has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing an 11-month-old baby by forcing an acidic cleaning agent into the child's mouth, according to French media on Friday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
A jury in the Ain department of eastern central France found that the 29-year-old woman deliberately poured a large amount of the drain cleaner Destop into the girl’s mouth in Lyon in June 2022, causing her death.
The woman admitted to having poured the cleaning agent into the child's mouth, but denied any intention to kill her.
She merely wanted to stop the baby from crying, BFMTV and other media reported.
The prosecution said the child died after several hours of extreme suffering.
In the initial trial, the defendant was sentenced to 25 years in prison, as intent to kill was not established at the time.
The public prosecutor’s office later filed an appeal at the request of the victim’s parents.
The new sentence includes a minimum term of 15 years, meaning the convicted woman will not be eligible to apply for early release or parole before that period has elapsed.
Psychiatric experts found the woman to be mentally immature but ruled out diminished responsibility.
--BERNAMA-dpa
