Three nursery school teachers who failed to notice a two-year-old boy drowning in a lake have avoided jail time.

Adam, 2, drowned in a lake on a day trip with his nursery school to the Neustaedter See lake near the city of Magdeburg in the north-eastern German region of Saxony-Anhalt on 2nd October 2020.

Now three teachers from his nursery school have been given suspended sentences over his death after the area noticed that the child was missing after the group was back at the nursery school.

The educators have been named in German daily Bild as Sarah H., 23, Susann S., 31, and Kerstin P., 60. The three empathised with the family during the trial.

Adam was found lifeless in the water after a large-scale search was launched. An autopsy confirmed that he had drowned.

The lawyer for the family, Dr Thomas Klaus, told RTL that they were seriously affected by the loss of little Adam but he thinks that it is possible that they could forgive the defendants. But he added: “The crucial point is: The person who bears responsibility must also take responsibility and say: ‘I made a mistake’.”

This has reportedly not taken place yet, with the defendants focusing more on blaming one another, according to RTL.

On 2nd October, 2020, the teachers took a group of 17 children aged between two and four years old to the lake for about 90 minutes.

According to the prosecution, the case is very clear. The teachers should have known that a small child left unsupervised on a beach is at risk of falling into the water and drowning.

The verdict is not yet legally binding and can be appealed.