Or Yehuda 'abusive' mother put under house arrest

The mother suspected of severely abusing her infant son, who was admitted to a hospital two weeks ago with cranial hemorrhages and fractured ribs, was released to house arrest with restraints on Monday.

The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court thereby approved the request of the woman's lawyers, citing insufficient evidence. Nevertheless, she is forbidden from contacting her husband, who is also suspected of abusing their son.

During her five-day house arrest, the mother is set to stay at a relative in the North. The boy's father was released to house arrest last week after paying a NIS 3,000 bail.

Earlier Monday, Army Radio reported that the couple would probably not stand trial after a pathology report asserted that their "behavior… falls inside the gray area."

When the baby arrived in the hospital and the story broke, the Israeli media had branded them "the abusive parents from Or Yehuda." Doctors had claimed that "the combination of cranial hemorrhaging, clouded consciousness and fractures are very typical of the 'abused baby syndrome,' hence this is a classic case of infant abuse."

Nonetheless, sources involved in the investigation assessed that it was impossible to prove that the parents had abused their child. "The pathology report does not supply any incontrovertible findings, and it now seems that the mother will not be indicted," they said.

"It could be that they are not especially good parents, but the gap between that and a criminal offense is substantial," the sources added.

The police admitted that the case was complicated but insisted that they would pursue an indictment. "I am not willing to give up in this situation, when a two-month-old baby is hospitalized in serious condition and the person who did this doesn't stand trial," a policeman working on the case told Army Radio.

The baby is still in the hospital in stable condition. However, the extent of the harm caused to him is as yet unknown.