A tragic incident occurred at the Motol Hospital in Prague, where a 36-year-old woman injected her son, who was paralyzed after brain tumor surgery, with ordinary water through a catheter to extend his hospital stay.
The boy, who had been undergoing chemotherapy and was gradually recovering, suddenly developed sepsis – a dangerous blood infection – which led to his admission to the intensive care unit.
Doctors were puzzled by the unusual progression of the disease, where sepsis appeared intermittently but quickly receded after treatment. The mother claimed not to have noticed anything suspicious, but medical staff suspected interference with the treatment. After the woman was removed from caring for her son, his condition stabilized.
The investigation revealed that the mother had deliberately injected water into the catheter for a month and a half, causing the infection. She had researched online how to provoke the disease. The court ruled that the woman did not intend to kill her son but acted under the pressure of fear of social uncertainty and her difficult psychological state.
She was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison and ordered to pay her son compensation of around 3,500 euros. The prosecution demanded a harsher sentence, claiming that the woman might have acted to receive social benefits, but the court took into account her psychological condition and life circumstances. She faced up to 20 years in prison for attempted murder.
