According to the indictment, the father and his new girlfriend, knew the poison would not lead directly to death and had wanted to inflict particularly severe pain on the toddler.
After the injection, the daughter got a severe infection in her foot and a rash all over her body. The mercury in her body was only found by chance during a third surgery related to the poisoning, dpa reported.
Both the father and his 34-year-old girlfriend, initially denied the charge before a court in Hannover but shortly before the trial ended, the couple admitted they together injected the mercury into the girl’s left foot and right ankle last July, dpa said.
It's unclear where they procured the liquid mercury.
The defendants can appeal the ruling. The names of the defendants and the victim were not released, in line with German privacy policy.