Nineteen days in jail for a woman who left her son Amsterdam CS

The Amsterdam court sentenced Nabila R., aged 40, who had left her three-year-old son at Amsterdam Central Station, to nineteen days in jail and sixty days of suspended imprisonment. The punishment is equal to that prevailing before the judgment, so that she does not have to go to the cell. The conditional sentence, with a probationary period of two years, must have a deterrent effect. The court follows the requirements of the Attorney General

R., who is of Moroccan origin, is currently following a residence permit procedure. According to the Attorney General, R. took a big risk in leaving his son at a bus stop at the station at 26:15 on November 26, 2017. A desperate act, R. said in the Amsterdam courthouse earlier. A bus driver found the child at the train station and took him to the police. When R was arrested, the police found a train ticket for Schiphol three days later and a plane ticket to Casablanca. In the courtroom, R. stated earlier that she did not really intend to leave.

The court blames the woman for leaving her son, who depended on her. The court wrote in a statement that he was not only three years old, but also much smaller than other children his age: he did not know how to speak, did not understand the language, was not clean and seemed to be suffering from a behavioral disorder.

Illiterate and mentally retarded

However, the judge took into account the woman's personal circumstances when sentencing. R. stated that she was not able to take care of her son. The woman, who also has a daughter in Morocco, is illiterate, mentally deficient and, according to a psychologist, suffers from depression. According to R.'s lawyer, the problems appeared over the woman's head. Previously, she lived in Italy, but her partner, who was not the father of her son, had him fired. Then she lived on the street for a while. In the Netherlands, R. asked for help from a friend, but she could not stand her son, who is presumably autistic.

The son is currently living in a foster home and is doing well. He also sees his mother regularly, goes to school, speaks Dutch and integrates. The woman stays in a residential institution. Since she has no residency status, she can not claim care, social benefits or benefits – nor can she count on the help of the probation service.