A French woman has been placed under investigation over the deaths of eight newborn babies,

French woman faces charges over newborn babies' deaths
29 July 2010 Last updated at 13:16 GMT

A French woman has been placed under investigation over the deaths of eight newborn babies, while her husband has been freed without charge.

Dominique Cottrez, 47, has admitted suffocating her babies and said husband Pierre-Marie Cottrez knew nothing about the pregnancies, the prosecutor says.
Mr Cottrez had initially faced investigation for allegedly concealing the bodies and not reporting crimes.

Mrs Cottrez faces charges of the voluntary homicide of the babies.

The remains were found in the village of Villers-au-Tertre, near the northern city of Lille.

Being placed under investigation is the first stage of criminal proceedings that can lead to charges.
The prosecutor had requested the charges of failing to report the killings and hiding the bodies against Mr Cottrez, but the prosecutor said the investigating magistrate in the case had ruled against this.
Wrapped in plastic



On Wednesday, police with sniffer dogs searched two houses in Villers-au-Tertre, after the new owners of a house in the commuter village called them following the discovery of remains in the garden.

The house belonged to the parents of the arrested woman.
Police then conducted searches in another house in the village - that of the arrested couple - where the bodies of more babies were found.

Mrs Cottrez said she was fully aware of her pregnancies, but said she did not want any more children and did not want to see a doctor to use a means of contraception, the prosecutor in the case said at a news conference.
"This is a case outside of the norms given the number of newborns," he added.

Mrs Cottrez said that after a first difficult birth because of her heavy weight, she did not want to see any more doctors. She was alone in her pregnancies and while giving birth, the prosecutor said.

The remains found in the first house were wrapped in plastic bags, while the other six bodies were found in the garage of the second house wrapped in closed plastic bags, hidden under a variety of objects.

The birth of the eight babies is said to have taken place between 1989 and 2006-07, the prosecutor said, although further tests will be able to determine the exact dates.
Mr Cottrez said he had never noticed his wife's pregnancies because of her heavy weight, and had no idea she had been getting rid of the babies at birth, the prosecutor said.
The couple have grown-up children and grandchildren. Mrs Cottrez is a care worker and Mr Cottrez is a member of the local council.
"He's on his third term in office. He used to volunteer in the community. He's a respectable man," local mayor Patrick Mercier told reporters earlier on Thursday.

Previous cases
The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says France has had a string of cases in recent years involving the deaths of newborn babies.

In March, a mother confessed to killing six of her newborn children and hiding them in the cellar of her house in north-west France.
Another notorious case was that of Veronique Courjault, who was jailed last year for killing three of her babies while living in South Korea and in France. She has since been freed, having already served time in jail while on remand.

In Germany in 2006, Sabine Hilschenz was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the manslaughter of eight of her newborn babies. A ninth baby also died, but too long ago to allow a prosecution.