Sentence handed down to mother who abandoned newborn in trash after giving birth in toilet: She wrapped it in a bag and threw it away

The incident occurred on November 2, 2023, on Karadut Street in the Kuzeykent neighborhood of Kastamonu city center. According to the information obtained, a male baby was found by citizens wrapped in a trash bag next to a dumpster. After receiving initial intervention by medical teams at Kastamonu Training and Research Hospital, the newborn was resuscitated following intensive efforts.

Following the incident, investigations by the Kastamonu Provincial Police Department identified the mother of the baby found in the trash as C.Ç. (20). It was determined that C.Ç. had given birth in the toilet without her family's knowledge. She was taken into custody on charges of tying the baby she delivered in the toilet into a trash bag, believing it to be dead, and having her father, who suffers from mental health issues, throw it in the trash. C.Ç. was arrested following the incident.

On the other hand, it was learned that the baby, who was taken under treatment, regained his health after treatment in Ankara and is now being cared for by a foster family.

Following the incident, the trial against C.Ç. at the Kastamonu High Criminal Court on charges of "murder of a close relative unable to defend themselves" continued. The detained defendant C.Ç. and the lawyers for the parties attended the hearing. S.K., the guardian of the baby B.G., stated that they had no objections to the prosecutor's opinion, saying, "I am very happy to have become the guardian of the baby."

B.G.'s father, K.G., stated that he did not wish to file a complaint against the baby's mother, C.Ç.

The detained defendant C.Ç. said, "I am very regretful. I have not been able to receive news about my child during the time I have been detained. I want to be tried without detention for the sake of my child. I request my release and acquittal."

After hearing the defendant's lawyer, the court panel sentenced C.Ç. to life imprisonment for the crime of "qualified intentional murder against a descendant who cannot defend themselves physically or mentally." The court panel reduced the sentence to 12 years, citing that the crime remained at the attempt stage and that C.Ç. was under the age of 18 at the time of the offense.