German mother accused of killing nine babies
A woman suspected of killing nine of her newborn babies went on trial today in a case that shocked Germans and fuelled calls for tighter protection for children.
Police arrested Sabine Hilschinz after discovering the remains of the nine infants last July buried in flower pots and a fish tank in the garden of her parents’ home in a village near the Polish border.
The petite 40-year-old appeared before a state court in Frankfurt today where she faces eight charges of manslaughter over the deaths of the infants. She could be jailed for up to 15 years if convicted.
The death of a ninth child is covered by a statute of limitations.
Defence lawyer Matthias Schoeneburg told the court that his client wished to make no statement. Presiding Judge Matthias Fuchs instead read out an account of her testimony at a hearing after her arrest.
Last August, Hilschinz told a judge that she could remember properly only two of the births because, in the other cases, she got drunk when she went into labour. “My husband didn’t want any more children,” she said.
