Acquittals in day care drowning case

Court calls death of five-year-old "an accident, rather than negligence"

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Pori District Court has acquitted the manager of a private child day care centre and an official at the Pori social welfare office in the drowning of a five-year-old boy last summer.
      The manager of the day care centre was charged with wrongfully causing the death of Anton Engholm, who drowned after running away from the facility in June. The section chief of the welfare office was charged with neglecting official duties.
      In its decision on Wednesday, the court found that the disappearance of Anton Engholm was the result of an accident, rather than negligence, and the manager of the day care centre cannot be held responsible.
      The court also found that the city had not neglected its supervisory responsibilities: there was a sufficient number of personnel at the day care centre, and that the welfare official had not failed in the task of monitoring the centre.
      At the time of the incident there were 14 children at the day care centre, all of whom were over the age of three. There was a staff of four on duty, three of whom had professional qualifications. This means that there was one professional more than required by law for a group of this size.
     
Aulis Laaksonen, the Deputy Mayor responsible for Pori's city services, says that he was "relieved at the decision, but sad over what had happened."
      He said that he feels that the verdict was correct, as there was no evidence of deliberate negligence.
      Anton Engholm disappeared from the front yard of the day care centre on June 11th. His body was found a week later in the nearby Kokemäenjoki river after one of Finland's most extensive searches.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Missing boy found drowned (18.6.2004)

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