A teacher in Lower Franconia is said to have forced a little girl to eat until she vomited. The 31-year-old is said to have brutally torn a boy out of a bunk bed as punishment: From next Monday, the Würzburg regional court will hear proceedings against the woman and her former group leader at a daycare center.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the crimes are said to have occurred in a facility in the Würzburg district at unspecified times between September and December 2021. The attacks are said to have affected at least four children – a girl and three boys – between the ages of 18 months and two years.
The 31-year-old is accused of eight counts of assault, coercion, mistreatment of those under protection, grievous bodily harm and attempted serious mistreatment of those under protection. She is said to have deliberately tortured the small children – probably because of a conflict with her group leader, the 37-year-old who was also accused.
She is said to have remained inactive during most of the crimes; she is said to have merely comforted the children after the attacks. According to the prosecution, the group leader did not report the crimes to the parents or the kindergarten management in a timely manner in order to prevent future attacks. She is therefore accused of having committed intentional bodily harm, mistreatment of those under her protection and grievous bodily harm by omission.
It was only when the main defendant returned to the daycare after an illness and is said to have continued to behave aggressively that the group leader is said to have reported the alleged incidents to the daycare management – around a year after the accused attacks. According to court information, in December 2022 both educators were relieved of their duties at the children’s home.
The 31-year-old reportedly denies the allegations so far. Her colleague, however, confessed during the investigation. Because of the special significance of the case, the public prosecutor brought charges to the regional court. The special significance arises from the age of the victims and the commission of the crime in everyday kindergarten life. A total of eleven days of negotiations are scheduled for the trial until the beginning of June.