In Russia, a sexually abused woman is on trial for allegedly hiding her unwanted baby in a closet for six months.
According to 7news AU, the baby could have starved to death if the victim’s teenage son had not secretly fed her in the closet.
Yulia Zykova, 37, had her trial in the city of Karpinski in the Russian region of Sverdlovsk Oblast last August 31.
Zykova secretly gave birth to baby Polina at her home and kept her in a closet, local reports said.
The mother’s oldest son named Matvey, 13 reportedly fed baby Polina in secret so she would not starve to death, but never said a word to anyone about what was happening.
Local reports said that Matvey believed that the child belonged to one of his mother’s friends and was shocked when the police told him that the baby he was feeding in the closet for months was actually his own sister.
The court had heard that the incident was almost discovered earlier when Zykova’s three-year-old daughter named Lera reportedly told everybody at her nursery school that a living doll called Polina lived in her closet at their home.
However, nobody at the nursery took Lera seriously at the time and ignored the 3-year-old’s claims.
Moreover, the court heard that baby Polina was on the brink of starvation when Zykova’s friend Olesya came to visit and heard unusual noises coming from the closet.
Olesya then found the baby Polina in a poor state and confronted Zykova, whom she said was drunk and refused to explain anything at the time, Life reported.
The incident has prompted Olesya to call on emergency services, who took baby Polina to a local children’s clinic, but her condition was so severe that she was airlifted by a helicopter to a city hospital in Yekaterinburg.
A criminal investigation was launched against Zykova, who confessed to the police that her estranged husband raped her and she never wanted the baby.
“The case is being considered behind closed doors,” Zykova’s lawyer Sergey R told local media. “Yulia’s life was tough, which led her to crime.
“We hope the verdict will be lawful, reasonable, and fair,” her lawyer added.
Zykova’s charges include child abuse and failure to properly care for a minor. If convicted, the defendant could face up to seven years in prison.
As for baby Polina, she is currently being looked after by her grandmother.
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