A mum has been jailed after killing her newborn daughter by throwing the infant out a window because she "thought a baby would ruin her career," a court heard.
Katarina
Jovanovic, 28, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years after being convicted of
manslaughter.
Katarina
was a top lawyer for Porsche, from Lauffen am Neckar, Baden-Wuerttemberg State,
Germany.
She
faced a judge at the Heilbronn District Court on Wednesday, July 3.
Jovanovic
secretly gave birth at home on September 12, 2023, before hurling the baby from
her flat window, the court heard.
The
newborn, who was just minutes old, fell almost four meters into the road below
and suffered a shattered skull.
Traumatised
passersby found her shortly after the horror unfolded and cops raced to the
scene.
Prosecutors
told the court how Jovanovic believed having a child would ruin her career as
an executive in the luxury car manufacturer's legal department.
They
told the court she deliberately kept her pregnancy a secret from colleagues and
neighbours.
Public
prosecutor Mareike Hafendoerfer said: "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."
Jovanovic's
lawyers claimed their client had accidentally dropped the baby after giving
birth alone at home.
They
argued she had not realised she had been pregnant.
Defence
attorney Malte Hoech, 53, said: "It is a drama that affects me personally.
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.
"It
was an accident, she dropped the baby. How the child ended up over the
windowsill remains to be determined."
The
court accepted the manslaughter charge and Jovanovic was jailed for
seven-and-a-half years.
Her
lawyers claim they plan to appeal the verdict after fighting for a sentence of
just three years.
Neighbours
previously told local media they did not realise Jovanovic was pregnant.
One
said: "Nobody noticed that the woman was pregnant. Recently she had
changed and was no longer talking to us.
"We
thought she was stressed at work."
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