The Voivodeship Integrated Hospital in Elbląg notified law enforcement after new psychoactive substances were detected in a 33-year-old patient and her newborn child. Prosecutors are checking whether the mother exposed the newborn to a risk of loss of life or serious damage to health.
The information was provided by Ewa Ziębka, spokeswoman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Elbląg, as quoted by PAP and RMF24. According to her, the family court has been informed and will decide on the child’s future. For now, the newborn remains in the hospital.
From birth to notification
The birth took place on October 6 at the Voivodeship Integrated Hospital in Elbląg. As reported, the woman’s condition may have indicated the effects of intoxicants, so doctors ordered a toxicology panel. The tests showed the presence of so-called new psychoactive substances, commonly known as designer drugs or “legal highs”, in both the patient and the child.
According to TVN24, the hospital informed the police, which in turn notified the prosecutor’s office. The local portal tko.pl reports that an investigation was opened on October 9 under the supervision of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Elbląg. These details come from media reports, not from the spokeswoman’s cited statement.
What prosecutors have done
Investigators searched the hospital room where the woman stayed, as well as her apartment. Medical records concerning the course of the pregnancy were secured. According to TVN24, blood samples from the mother and the child were also taken for further testing.
The prosecutors appointed an expert. The expert is to establish whether the mother exposed the child to a direct risk of loss of life or serious damage to health, or what negative effects on the child’s health have already been caused. The spokeswoman put it this way:
“An expert has been appointed in this case to determine whether the mother exposed the child to a direct risk of loss of life or serious damage to health”.
— Prosecutor Ewa Ziębka, spokeswoman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Elbląg, quoted by PAP.
TVN24 further reports that the prosecutor’s office has opened separate proceedings regarding the possible deprivation or restriction of the woman’s parental rights.
Possible consequences and next steps
According to TVN24, exposing a child to a direct risk of loss of life or serious damage to health carries a penalty of three months to five years in prison. So far, no charges have been brought against anyone. The woman is presumed innocent, and whether the mother’s conduct constitutes a crime will depend on the test results and the expert’s opinion.
What it means
For now, evidence-gathering is ongoing. The next stage depends on the results of toxicological analyses and the opinion of a medical expert. A separate decision by the family court on the newborn’s care is also pending, and it may be made independently of the criminal proceedings. Designer drugs, i.e. new psychoactive substances, are illegal to possess and distribute in Poland, and their effect on a fetus and newborn is assessed on a case-by-case basis, which is why prosecutors are awaiting the forensic physician’s opinion.
Komentarze