French Court Sentences Mother and Grandmother in Newborn Twin Neglect Case

A French court has sentenced Sabrina Boulsas, 26, and her mother, Zara Nacir (formerly Christelle Balloux), 44, for neglecting their newborn twin daughters in 2020, resulting in the death of one infant. The Côte d’Or Assize Court found them guilty of failing to provide necessary care to the prematurely born twins, but acquitted them of charges of murder and attempted murder.

Details of the Case

The incident occurred in the night of May 23-24, 2020. Sabrina Boulsas gave birth to the twins prematurely. The court determined that neither mother nor grandmother provided adequate care to the infants. Zara Nacir initially called emergency services claiming her daughter was experiencing heavy bleeding, without mentioning the existence of the babies.

Sentencing and Mitigating Circumstances

The court recognized mitigating circumstances for Sabrina Boulsas, acknowledging she acted under “proven fear of the reaction of her adoptive father,” who held strict religious beliefs. However, the sentence for Zara Nacir was more severe, as she did not disclose the existence of the babies to paramedics or hospital staff.

While the prosecution initially requested fifteen years for Zara Nacir and six years for Sabrina Boulsas, the sentences handed down were lower. The prosecution acknowledged that Sabrina had taken some “maternal gestures” by wrapping the twins in clothing to keep them warm after the birth.

The Grandmother’s Actions

The prosecution argued that Zara Nacir instructed her daughter to “get rid of the children” out of “shame” and fear of her partner, from whom she wished to conceal the pregnancy. Upon the arrival of paramedics, she reportedly asked them to “not speak too loudly” to avoid alerting her partner to the pregnancy.

Discovery of the Infants

The grandmother called the firefighters more than an hour after the birth, despite the urgent require for medical attention for the premature infants, who weighed less than 800 grams each. Tragically, only one of the twins survived.

Defense Arguments

Defense lawyers argued that the cause of death was the premature condition of the infants and that there were no signs of violence. They characterized Sabrina Boulsas as a “fragile, immature young woman dependent on her mother” who lacked the capacity to react against her mother’s instructions. Sabrina Boulsas herself stated, “In no way did I want to kill my children.”

The defense also highlighted that Sabrina Boulsas delivered the babies alone and in pain, finding one in the toilet and the other in the bathtub, and then wrapped them in her own clothes, characterizing this as a gesture of love.

Sources: Yahoo News France, Le Véil, La Nouvelle République, Actu.fr