The parents of a Fuerteventura infant who died from a massive brain haemorrhage after allegedly being shaken viciously to stop her crying take the stand today in a trial that has already heard startling revelations about the abuse the baby suffered.
Prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment term for the father of 3-month-old María Eleyda, who died from horrific injuries medical experts say could only have been caused by persistent violent shaking. Juan Francisco L.S, who worked in a juvenile facility on the island, stands accused of killing her and subjecting her to abuse and neglect throughout her short life. Meanwhile, her mother faces six months in jail if found guilty of child neglect.
The court heard on day one of the headline-making trial that baby María was found to have quantities of drugs and alcohol in her system and it also emerged that the parents had received a previous conviction after another of their children was found to have high levels of cocaine and cannabis in their body.
On the night of the tragedy in April 2023, the baby was taken to a health centre in Puerto del Rosario but doctors could do nothing to resuscitate her. An audio recording of a conversation between the parents included a comment by the defendant that the “baby was KO” after crying for 40 minutes. “The little bitch wouldn’t stop and it was as if she was doing it on purpose” he is alleged to have said.
Doctors reported that the infant had been dead for at least two hours when she arrived in the health centre and her body hygiene was extremely poor, a finding which coincided with evidence from a local woman who occasionally babysat for the children. The woman stated that the family home was dirty and in a pitiful state and the baby often had very severe skin rashes due to her nappy not being changed. In further damaging testimony, the witness stated that the dead girl’s older sister told her on the night that “Daddy hit the baby”.
Opening the case in the High Court in Las Palmas, prosecutor Carmen González said that little Maria had “drowned in her own blood” and that this was “not a case of novice parents making a tragic mistake”. “They were more worried about satisfying their drug habit and other vices than looking after their children” she added, noting also that the defendant was “a strong and corpulent man who worked with young offenders and would have been fully aware of his own strength and the consequences of shaking a baby so violently.” González told the jury that he had received ten prison sentences already and had several convictions for offences involving violence on his record. The trial continues.
