Foster parents won’t face attempted manslaughter charge for girl’s severe abuse

Prosecutors have dropped the charge of attempted manslaughter against two foster parents from Vlaardingen, accused of seriously abusing their foster daughter. Johnny van den B. and Daisy W. made their first court appearance in Rotterdam on Friday morning, where the final indictment was outlined.

The foster parents, both 38 years old, were arrested in May last year after their 10-year-old foster daughter had been admitted to the hospital with severe injuries a week earlier. The girl had broken bones and brain injuries and was in a coma for some time.

It was stated during the trial that she now spends two days a week at a care farm. A medical report stated that she has sustained significant neurological damage and currently functions at about the level of a toddler.

According to the rehabilitation center where the now 11-year-old girl is staying, she has improved significantly in both speech and motor skills. “She can say a few words and sometimes follow simple instructions,” the prosecutor cited from the most recent information available to him.

The prosecutor also said that the girl can walk independently. “This walking is sometimes aimless, wandering, and with stiff and somewhat uncoordinated movements.”

The Public Prosecution Service initially accused the suspects of pushing the girl down the stairs, but the charge was withdrawn at the latest preliminary hearing. The decision was based on a report from the Netherlands Forensic Institute, which concluded that her brain injury could just as easily have been caused by an accidental fall as by a push or a blow to the head. As a result, it cannot be established whether the incident was accidental or deliberate.

The foster parents also face charges of abusing three other children in their care: two Syrian boys and the half-sister of the initial victim.

Behavioral experts at the Pieter Baan Center consider the suspects to have diminished criminal responsibility and recommended compulsory psychiatric treatment at a TBS facility.

W. was found to have a personality disorder marked by antisocial, narcissistic, histrionic, and borderline traits. Van den B. was also diagnosed with a personality disorder, along with an aggression disorder. According to the assessment, he has a need to assert himself as “the strongest” and derives “a sense of power from using aggression.”

Of the two defendants, only Van den B. chose to address the court. “First of all, I want to say I regret what happened, for the girl, my wife, and those close to us,” he told the court.

He noted that he had already submitted several letters to the court, adding, “So you know my story.” Van den B. also criticized the authorities, saying it was “unfortunate” that the police and prosecution had presented “a one-sided account.”

W. declined to comment. The presiding judge noted that she and her husband will have the chance to respond in detail when the trial continues on November 6 and 7.

The case caused national uproar. The home that W. and Van den B. lived in was vandalized shortly after the pair had been arrested. The foster agencies that were responsible for the girl's foster care have also been criticized for their failings in protecting the girl, who had issued cries for help on several occasions.