Prosecution appeals sentence for foster parents convicted of abusing Vlaardingen girl

The Public Prosecution Service is filing an appeal in the case of the Vlaardingen foster girl. The Rotterdam court sentenced the foster parents, Johnny van den B. and Daisy W., to eight years in prison for physically abusing the girl and confining her in a cage, after the prosecution had recommended 11 years plus compulsory psychiatric treatment.

The prosecution is filing an appeal partly because the court did not impose compulsory psychiatric treatment (TBS) and did not convict the suspects of the severe abuse that left the girl seriously injured.

The court did not impose TBS on the suspects, ruling that it is unlikely they will ever care for foster children again, and thus, the conditions for TBS were not met. However, the court decided they will be subject to long-term supervision following their prison term.

In May of last year, the 10-year-old girl was hospitalized in critical condition with broken bones and brain injuries and spent some time in a coma. She can no longer function independently. The court could not establish whether the foster parents were responsible for all of her injuries, which contributed to the lighter prison sentence.

The foster parents were also found guilty of abusing the girl’s half-sister and of mistreating and humiliating two boys in the household. The biological mothers of the foster children welcomed the decision of the Public Prosecution Service to appeal.

“The court’s verdict feels like a temporary outcome to them. They strongly support the appeal, even though facing the full legal process again will be challenging. Still, they feel it is the right thing to happen,” said a spokesperson for Namens de Familie, which represents the biological mothers.

With the prosecution filing an appeal, the Court of Appeal in The Hague will re-examine the case.