French couple face charges over newborn babies' deaths
ASTANA. July 29. KAZINFORM A couple arrested in northern France after police found the remains of eight newborn babies have been placed under investigation over the deaths. Kazinform refers to BBC.
The woman, the mother of the babies, faces charges of voluntary homicide of the babies.
Her husband faces charges of concealing the bodies and the non-reporting of crimes.
Prosecutors in the nearby town of Douai are to hold a news conference later about the discovery.
On Wednesday, police with sniffer dogs searched two houses in Villers-au-Tertre, near Lille, 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 father 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.
The remains found in the first house were wrapped in plastic.
The couple are said to be in their mid-40s and have grown-up children and grandchildren. The woman works as a nursing assistant and her husband 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.
The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says France has had a string of cases in recent years involving the deaths of newborn babies. Kazinform cites BBC. See www.bbc.co.uk