Man accused of throwing his daughter out of balcony is acquitted

The Botanica District Court declared not guilty the man who, in autumn 2006, was accused of hitting his 6-year-old daughter in the head, thus making her fall out of the balcony of an apartment block in Chisinau. The judge held that the act of falling 5 stories down had been an accident. President of the National Centre for Child Abuse Prevention (CNAPC) Daniela Popescu expressed her disagreement with the sentence. According to her, the evaluation made by the Centre’s experts entirely proved the guiltiness of the father. Solicited by the police, the CNPAC psychologist assisted the child at the initial audition, which took place at the hospital and recorded on tape as approved by MIA. Further on, the child was assisted in the court by a psychologist specialised in interviewing children – victims of abuse. During the trial, the girl said that she fell by herself; however, she didn’t hide the fact that her father hit her in the head with his fist and didn’t offer his hand, says the Centre’s communiqué. The fall from the fifth storey gave the girl a physical handicap. According to Daniela Popescu, the prosecutor who investigated the case will attack the district court’s judgment in the Court of Appeals.