A lawyer has been jailed for seven-and a-half years after she threw her newborn daughter out of a window because she was worried the infant would ruin her career as an executive at Porsche.
The Heilbronn District Court in Germany heard how Katarina Jovanovic gave birth on 12 September 2023 after not telling anyone that she was pregnant.
UK publication, Mail Online, said she dropped her newborn daughter from her flat. The infant landed on the windowsill and was found by a passer-by.
The publication reported that the lawyer admitted to the crime at the beginning of the trial in April, but failed to explain what happened. She also claimed she hadn’t realised she was pregnant.
The online publication said prosecutors argued that Jovanovic thought being a mother would spoil her career as an executive in Porsche’s legal department.
Prosecutor Mareike Hafendoerfer was quoted as saying: “The accused was not prepared to put her life plans, especially her professional advancement, on hold for a child. That was her decision when the baby was born, and as a result, the criteria for a murder conviction are fulfilled.”
Mail Online reported that Jovanovic’s lawyer, Malte Hoech, claimed she accidentally dropped the baby from her hands after giving birth alone at home. He argued she should be charged with manslaughter instead of murder.
Hoech says: “My client did not even know that she was pregnant. When she suddenly held the bloody baby in her hands, she was in an exceptional psychological situation.”
sinenenhlanla.masilela@iol.co.za