Parents of severely disabled Esekia (11) from Frameries go on trial at the Mons assize court

The trial of the parents of Esekia, an eleven-year-old boy from Frameries with severe cerebral palsy, opened on Monday before the Hainaut assize court in Mons. He died on 30 May 2023 and by then weighed only about ten kilos, L'Avenir writes. The father, Gilles V., and the mother, Marjorie B., are accused of having deprived their son of care and food between February and May 2023. The prosecution alleges premeditated murder; the defence disputes intent and speaks of deprivation of care and food. The case was first investigated as deprivation of care resulting in death and later requalified by the investigating judge. The jury of seven men and five women was selected in mid-October, La DH reports.

According to the indictment, reported by RTBF, the autopsy pointed to chronic malnutrition and found no trace of the medication the boy needed. The day centre that Esekia attended three days a week until February 2023 noted weight loss and hygiene problems and ended its cooperation because the parents did not pay for the care and did not follow the treatment. On the day of his death, emergency services were called only more than an hour after a first sign of breathing difficulty. In court, the father acknowledged that he was responsible and described himself as too lax; the mother said she had been at work and feels ashamed of the conditions in the household.

The trial continues with the questioning of the accused and the first witnesses. The role of the youth welfare service SAJ, which had been alerted several times, may also be discussed in the coming days, according to RTBF. Doctors will then be heard. The day centre has joined the case as a civil party.