In Odesa, a teacher was tried for injuring a child in a kindergarten: what was the verdict

Khadzhybeyskyi District Court of Odesa sentenced a teacher of kindergarten No. 26 for seriously injuring a child during a walk. She was sentenced to 3 years in prison, but released on probation for a year.

This is stated in the court's verdict.

The incident occurred on October 9, 2020.

According to the case file, due to the negligence of the educator, a young girl fell from a metal structure on the territory of a kindergarten on Bolharska Street, resulting in serious bodily injuries - a head injury, a fracture of the occipital bone and a head contusion.

The court found that the educator had grossly violated her job description by leaving the children unattended, failing to provide first aid to the victim, calling medical personnel, and notifying the institution's administration and parents of the incident. The father learned about the injury only in the evening when he came to take his daughter home.

During the trial, the accused fully admitted her guilt, repented and stated that she regretted her actions. She explained that she had indeed left the girl unattended, who subsequently fell, but had not taken appropriate action afterwards.

The prosecutor insisted on a punishment without isolation from society, given that the caregiver had no previous convictions, had reached retirement age, had no aggravating circumstances, and had pleaded guilty.

The court found her guilty under Part 2 of Art. 137 - improper performance of professional duties to protect the life and health of children, which caused grave consequences. She was sentenced to 3 years in prison, but was released from serving the sentence with a probationary period of one year. She was also obliged to report to the probation authorities and inform them of any change of residence.

In addition, the child's parents filed a civil lawsuit demanding compensation of UAH 1,000 in material damage and UAH 150,000 in non-pecuniary damage. However, the court left the claim without consideration, explaining that a separate civil proceeding was required to resolve it.

The verdict can be appealed to the Odesa Court of Appeal within 30 days of its announcement.

This case was previously reported by the media. The four-year-old girl was seriously injured - a skull fracture and concussion - while walking in the kindergarten in Odesa. Despite the incident, the teacher did not call for medical help, and the parents learned about the injury only in the evening when they came to take the child home.

By then, the child's condition had deteriorated significantly, so the parents immediately called an ambulance. The hospital diagnosed a closed head injury, a fracture of the occipital bone and a concussion. According to the father, the teacher tried to hide what had happened.

"Dad, don't worry, watch your daughter in the evening, if she feels bad, go to the doctors. But I'm asking you very much, don't say that it happened in the kindergarten," the father said to the employee of the institution.

Ірина Глухова