Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

Three carers are on trial for negligent homicide after failing to look after a two-year-old boy who drowned in a lake in Germany.

The daycare workers left two-year-old Adam behind on a day out at the Neustadter See in the German city of Magdeburg, and only noticed he was missing after they returned to the nursery on 2nd October 2020, according to reports.

The trial of Sarah H., 23, Susann S., 31, and Kerstin P., 60, all accused of negligent homicide, started at Magdeburg District Court on 19th August 2021.

According to the indictment, the three women were on their way to Neustadter See with a group of 17 children between the ages of two and four at 10am on the day of the incident.

When they reached their destination, the carers let the children play by the sand by the lake for about an hour before they headed back to the daycare centre at 11.45 am.

However, when they returned to the centre at around midday, the women noticed Adam was missing and immediately called the police, who mounted a large search operation involving ambulance services, sniffer dogs and a helicopter.

The emergency services found Adam in the lake at 1.22pm and resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. An autopsy later confirmed that he died of drowning.

Describing their actions as “completely irresponsible”, Adam’s father Mohammad W., 31, accused his minders of negligence and said: “They must get what they deserve.”

During the trial at the Magdeburg District Court on Thursday, prosecutors told the defendants that they should have paid equal attention to all the children and made sure they stayed together.

The accused carers made no comment during the trial, however, the newspaper Bild reported that one defendant admitted to all charges through her lawyer and followed the trial with tears in her eyes, clearly affected by what had happened.

According to the head of the daycare centre, all three carers shared responsibility for the incident, despite supervising different groups of children during the trip.

The 31-year-old father, who joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff, reported through his lawyer that the boy’s family is ready to forgive the women if they agree to explain everything in detail and admit their guilt.

The case continues.