Man arrested after kidnapped boy found in 'baby hatch'

The 'life window' in Piotrkow Trybunalski: photo - PAP/ Grzegorz Michalowski

The child's mother, who had gone out shopping and left the boy in her 39-year-old partner's care, has already identified the infant, who is currently being treated at a hospital in Piotrkow Trybunalski, central Poland.

The hatches, also called “life windows” are intended as a last resort for mothers who are incapable of caring for babies, but the UN has called for the abolition of the facilities in the 11 EU states that still permit the practice.

Police have not commented on whether the alleged kidnapper was sober.

The incident marks the third time in recent years that a child has been discovered in a baby hatch at the nunnery in Piotrkow Trybunalski, although the previous cases involved much younger babies.

After the alleged abduction, which took place in the village of Sulejow, the mother of the child informed local police that she suspected who might be responsible for the crime. Her partner was apparently busy working in the yard outside her house when the abduction occurred.

“Police officers promptly arrested the 21-year-old suspected of abducting the boy from his family,” commented Joanna Kacka, spokesperson for the local police, as cited by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Nuns confirmed that the child was in a distressed state when they found him shortly after 11 am on Wednesday.

Since baby hatches were re-introduced to Poland in 2000 – reviving a practice that dates back to medieval times - the Polish Roman Catholic Church claims forty infants have been saved.

In response to the UN's calls for abolition, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, argued that “a child thrown on a rubbish tip cannot fail to shock our consciences,” as quoted by Catholic World News (CWS)

“These life windows are the Church’s answer to this tragedy,” he added. (nh)