Mother convicted of murder in young son’s intentional overdose; 15 years in prison

A Zevenbergen woman was again convicted of involvement in her 11-year-old son’s death by poisoning. But the Court of Appeal in Den Bosch convicted Jolanda M. of premeditated murder on Wednesday, where the lower court had convicted her instead of manslaughter. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison, five more than the district court had ordered.

The court justified its decision that M. acted in a premeditated manner, because the woman deliberately continued to administer medication, even when she heard her child scream and saw him pass out, the ruling said. The boy died in February 2020 from a cocktail of painkillers, a sleeping pill and an antidepressant.

None of these substances were prescribed to the child, but they were prescribed to the mother. The suspect claimed that her son must have found them and taken the pills himself. The Court found that to be unlikely.

Experts concluded that the woman probably suffers from the mental illness, Munchausen syndrome by proxy. This is when a child is deliberately sickened so the responsible individual is given attention.

There was a camera in the child’s bedroom, which captured video of the mother administering various medications. However, M. said that she only gave her son paracetamol. The images also show that the boy’s condition was getting worse.

He cried, screamed, said he did not feel well and fainted several times. “After administering medication, she left him to his fate,” according to the Court. He was found lifeless in bed that morning. The ruling stated that he had previously been an energetic, happy and independent boy.

The fatal day was preceded by even more unnecessary suffering, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) argued. “For years, she had taken medical specialists along for her story, namely that her son was ill and very dependent on help, and needed to use a wheelchair.”

The OM recommended a prison sentence of 12 years on appeal, including mandatory treatment in a TBS psychiatric institution. However, the Court of Appeal ruled that compulsory mental health treatment is not necessary, considering experts estimated the risk of recidivism to be low.

M. will be given a behavioral restrictions, and will face limitations to her freedom as part of a court orderd known as a GVM measure. Should she eventually gain release from incarceration. This is specifically designed to prevent recidivism in those convicted of serious violent and sexual offences.