A total of 33 charges of abuse of babies and toddlers are being levelled at six creche staff in Porto – while another is facing 31 separate accusations.
“They hit children with the sole purpose of inflicting pain and suffering”, claims the prosecution due to be heard at São João de Novo court in October.
Taken out by parents of the state-funded Benjamin creche, the alleged catalogue of horrors took place in 2012 and 2013.
According to an exclusive in Correio da Manhã, staff – aged from 21 to 68 – deprived their young charges of water, left them tied up in car seats for at least two hours a day, slapped them regularly in the face, and even forced them to eat food that had been spat on.
The list of abuse included not taking toddlers to the bathroom, not changing nappies and abandoning the 33 children to darkened rooms.
Parents involved in the case are claiming thousands of euros in damages. CM claims one set is asking for €12,000 for the abuse of two youngsters.
Staff showed “by their acts, instincts of evil and cruelty”, levels the accusation.
The so-called carers are also understood to have filled one child’s mouth with pepper for using swear words.
But the defendants are all understood to be contesting the charges, and CM writes that they have the support of other parents who say they were not aware of any abuse going on.
Meantime, the creche is still running – and six of the carers facing accusations continue to work there.
Children taken in by the Benjamin creche range from three months to three years of age.
