Last summer, a four-year-old boy disappeared from his preschool in Södertälje, who after a large search effort was found in a pool in the nearby area. The boy’s life could not be saved and three people, connected to the pre-school activities, have been indicted on suspicion of causing the death of another. On Monday, all were acquitted of the charges.
It was on June 14 last year that the four-year-old boy got out of his preschool in Södertälje by climbing over a low fence, according to the indictment. Several police resources were involved in the search for the missing boy, and after a major search operation, he was found in a private swimming pool in the local area.
The boy was taken by ambulance helicopter to hospital, but his life could not be saved. In December, charges were brought against the three people who are connected to the preschool operations. On Monday, the Södertälje district court announced that they were acquitted of the criminal suspicions of causing the death of another.
District Court: An extremely tragic accident
According to the Södertälje district court, none of the defendants has acted in a way that allows them to be convicted. The district court believes, among other things, that the person who had protection responsibility at the time in question did not fail in his supervision in a way that could be considered punishable.
“What happened was an extremely tragic accident. Parents should be able to feel safe when
they leave their children at preschool and the goal must be that preschool activities should
conducted in as safe a manner as possible. However, this does not mean that it is possible to completely
eliminate all hazards. Accidents can also happen without any individual person having been
so careless that criminal liability becomes relevant,” the judgment reads.
Neighbors warned
Neighbors in the area state that they had previously witnessed children climbing over the preschool’s fence, after which they warned the preschool staff.
According to the Association Värdefulla Barn och Ungdomar, FVBU, which runs the preschool, you should not have known about this.
– It is nothing that has come to us and the staff, Thérese Wallén, head of school at FVBU, said earlier to TV4 Nyheterna.