Woman who killed her eight babies to stand trial

A woman who killed her eight babies in Villers-au-Tertre near Lille in France is set to stand trial this week (Thursday) for infanticide.

According to the Guardian, Dominique Cottrez, 51, stunned the country after she confessed to killing eight of her newborn children and burying two of them in her garden and keeping the other six in plastic bags inside the family garage.

A man who was digging in his garden accidentally discovered a trash bag containing the remains of an infant and called the police, who were stunned to find six additional small corpses in the garage and another around the Cottrez’ former home in 2010.

According to court documents, Cottrez systematically carried the babies until they were due before smothering them with sheets.

Cottrez says that the babies were a product of a long incestuous relationship with her father, Oscar Lempereur, who raped her when she was 8 and continually through her childhood.

She added that the relationship with her father continued even after getting married and apparently insisted that her husband knew absolutely nothing about the babies, despite having two children, Emiline, 28, and Virginie, 27, with him.

A French daily quotes her saying that she never gave first names to the babies and only took a look at the first one, whom she saw was a baby boy, but never bothered with the others.

Cottrez was released from jail in 2012 after spending two years in temporary detention.

She faces life in prison if found guilty.