Abused boy is left brain dead
A 7-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten violently by his parents appears to be brain dead, the Deputy Health Minister Giorgos Constantopoulos said yesterday after visiting the child in a Thessaloniki hospital. Constantopoulos said that the boy had suffered irreversible brain damage and was being kept alive by a life support machine. The deputy minister, who is also a doctor, said he had never seen a case like this in his 20-year career. The unnamed child was taken to Ippocrateio Hospital on Tuesday with serious head injuries and multiple bruises. His parents, both Albanian nationals, claimed the boy was hurt while playing. However, the parents later confessed to beating the boy because they thought he was too hyperactive, police said. His 34-year-old mother and 36-year-old father have been charged with attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm. They will face a judge on Monday.
