Prosecutors recommend 11 years prison for foster parents in Vlaardingen child abuse case

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has recommended 11-year prison sentences and compulsory psychiatric treatment at a TBS facility at the district court in Rotterdam in the case of a 10-year-old foster girl from Vlaardingen who was severely abused. Prosecutors say Johnny van den B. and Daisy W. deliberately caused serious physical injuries to their foster child between June 2023 and May 20, 2024, when she was hospitalized in critical condition with ten broken bones and brain damage.

The girl sustained five broken ribs and five fractured vertebrae. Prosecutors say it is also proven that, during the same period, the suspects abused their foster child in other ways, including hitting her forcefully on the thighs while she was squatting.

The two foster parents are also accused of restraining the girl unlawfully from December 2023. She was allegedly chained to a bunk bed or confined in a cage with an electric wire attached. “This constitutes a form of psychological torture,” the prosecutor said.

The girl suffered numerous injuries, including pressure sores on her heels. Prosecutors say these match the constant standing required in the cage, as do the swelling around her ankles. The foster parents allegedly neglected the child by giving her too little food and denying her medical care. At the time, she weighed just 19.5 kilograms.

According to the OM, the two suspects collaborated closely over an extended period, as shown by chat messages exchanged between W. and Van den B. It remains unclear exactly what occurred on May 20 last year or how the child suffered such severe injuries that she ended up in a coma. “Too little is known about that,” the prosecutor said. “That it could escalate to this extent is deeply tragic and barely foreseeable.”

Prosecutors say the defendants also abused the girl’s half-sister and two other foster children, both boys, who were living in the same household. The OM maintains that the mistreatment of these children has been clearly and convincingly proven.

According to experts at the Pieter Baan Center, both foster parents have a personality disorder, while Van den B. also exhibits an aggression disorder. On that basis, prosecutors concluded that the two defendants were not fully accountable for their actions.

The trial resumes Tuesday with final arguments from the defense. The defendants will have the opportunity to speak at the end of the third and final hearing day. The court has not yet announced when it will issue its ruling.