The court in Glostrup acquits 31-year-old man of violence against infant
Case S36-2656/2025: Extensive bone fractures and brain hemorrhages in premature child
Sagsdetaljer
Quick Facts
Who is the defendant in the case from Herlev?
The defendant in the case is a 31-year-old man residing in Herlev, who in the summer of 2024 was charged with one of the most serious forms of violent crime: aggravated assault and abuse of his own infant. The child, a little boy, was born two months premature and was therefore particularly vulnerable. The man has consistently pleaded not guilty throughout the proceedings and explained that he has no knowledge of how the child's injuries occurred. He was briefly held in custody at the beginning of the investigation but was released by the Eastern High Court when no grounds were found for continued detention leading up to the trial.
What happened in the summer of 2024?
The case began when doctors in a department for premature infants discovered alarming symptoms in the three-month-old boy. Upon closer examination, hospital staff found that the child had sustained numerous fractures in various parts of his body as well as bleeding in the brain. Medical experts assessed that the injuries had occurred in at least two separate incidents and showed clear signs of being inflicted by external violence, including shaking or direct blows. While the child was hospitalized and under supervision, both parents and staff came under police scrutiny, but suspicion quickly focused on the father.
The investigation and medical evidence
The investigation led by the Copenhagen West Police focused on establishing a timeline for the injuries in relation to who had access to the child. Hospital staff provided extensive witness testimonies in the Court in Glostrup, where they described the child's condition and the findings made during the hospitalization. Although the medical reports unequivocally confirmed that there was evidence of violence under Section 246 of the Penal Code, there were no witnesses to the actual acts, and there was no technical evidence, such as video surveillance or DNA, that directly linked the father to the specific acts of violence.
The trial and grounds for the verdict
The trial against the 31-year-old man spanned seven court days in January and February 2026. The prosecution attempted to meet the burden of proof by arguing that the father was the only one who had the opportunity to commit the violence during the relevant time periods. However, the jury at the Court in Glostrup did not agree. In the verdict delivered on February 2, 2026, the court stated that it had indeed been proven that the child had been abused, but that the prosecution had not met the burden of proof that it was specifically the defendant father who was responsible. Since any reasonable doubt must benefit the defendant, the man was acquitted of all charges.