A 24-year-old woman has been charged for living with her 2-year-old daughter in a tent in Gdańsk. The girl has been taken to a hospital due to severe upper airway infection. According to the Gdańsk District Prosecutor's Office, the woman claims she has been taking good care of her child. She is facing 5 years in prison. The prosecutors requested the woman be temporarily detained. Her daughter will be placed in a foster home.
On Monday (November 21), the police were notified about a woman living in a tent with a small child in a wooded area near Jana Pawła II Street in Gdańsk. The woman heard charges on Wednesday (Nov. 23).
"Being a person responsible for providing care to a 2-year-old child, she has not been fulfilling this duty properly and lived from October until November 21 with her daughter in a tent when the temperature was below zero, which led to the deterioration of the child's health," said Grażyna Wawryniuk from District Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk.
She added the child had been at risk of much more severe health conditions.
The mother is facing 5 years in prison. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
"She testified and said she was taking proper care of the child," Wawryniuk added.
The prosecutor's office has asked the court to temporarily arrest the woman.
The 2-year-old with upper airway infection
"A duty officer dispatched a police unit to the area and during the intervention they confirmed the reported information. The officers ID'd a man and two women, one of which was the 24-year-old mother of the child. Cigarette smoke was coming out of the tent and the 2-year-old looked cold. She was wearing only a short-sleeved t-shirt" - said Magdalena Ciska of Gdańsk City Police.
The officers covered covered the child with blankets and thermal foil, and called an ambulance.
"After initial check up, a doctor said the child was cold, hungry, and suffered from upper airway infection. The child has been taken to a hospital for further examination," Ciska added.
The court ordered the child be placed into foster care.
Police urges not to turn a blind eye
The police cautions that during cold weather many people may at risk of death or severe health damage. This mainly pertains to homeless, lonely, elderly, and inebriated persons.
"The officers urge not to turn a blind eye when seeing someone lying in a park, at a railway stations, or in other non-residential areas, and to check if they need help. Please call the emergency numbers and report such situations. The police will check if help is necessary. Let's not be indifferent, one phone call might save someone's life," Magdalena Ciska stressed.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Komenda Miejska Policji w Gdańsku