Man arrested for suffocating baby daughter

Rome, Nov 11 (IANS/AKI) Police on Thursday arrested a 29-year-old man for throttling his baby daughter in her hospital cot in Bari, Italy earlier in this year.

Giuseppe Difonzo allegedly murdered three-month old Emanuela Difonzo on 13 February when he was alone with her.

The baby had spent 76 days in hospital since her birth, having repeatedly been admitted there blue in the face, with unexplained respiratory problems.

The infant had recovered fully during previous hospital stays and doctors had found no underlying medical problems.

She had been removed to the custody of social services after pediatricians reported their concerns but had been returned to her parents shortly before her death.

Prosecutors allege that Difonzo suffers from a psychological disorder in which patients feign illness or trauma and harmed his baby daughter in a twisted bid for attention.

"The investigation has ascertained that the baby was subjected to aggressive and violent acts by her father, a sufferer of Munchausen syndrome," prosecutors wrote.

Difonzo was detained in April on suspicion of sexually abusing the daughter of a friend of his partner's.

He has been hospitalised no less than 28 times including once for a fake suicide attempt.

--IANS/AKI

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