Mallorca baby death: life sentences upheld in Porto Cristo

The Balearic High Court has upheld reviewable life sentences for a mother and her brother-in-law over the death of her premature newborn in Porto Cristo, Mallorca. The baby was thrown into a public rubbish container in November 2023 after being born inside a vehicle. The mother’s sister, who was also in the vehicle, remains convicted of failing to seek help and was fined.

The court rejected appeals from all three people convicted and left in place the murder verdicts reached by a jury at the Provincial Court in Palma in March 2026.

Baby showed signs of life

The girl was about 26 or 27 weeks into the pregnancy when she was born. The court found that she showed clear signs of life and urgently needed medical help because of her extreme prematurity.

Instead, the mother handed the baby to her brother-in-law, according to the ruling. He got out of the vehicle and threw her into a rubbish container on a public street during a cold, rainy afternoon.

Her sister witnessed what happened but did not call for help or alert medical services, despite knowing the child’s life was at risk.

Court rejects defence appeals

Forensic doctors found that the baby died from a cardiac and respiratory arrest caused by several factors: no medical care and a head injury suffered when she was thrown into the container.

The appeals had sought to overturn the trial over alleged inconsistencies in the jury’s findings, or to have the case treated as abortion or negligence. The High Court rejected those arguments and backed the use of reviewable life sentences for the murder of a newborn or a particularly vulnerable child.

Topics: Court cases · Manacor · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com