Parents accused of killing toddler by trapping him in washing machine

The trial has started for a French couple accused of killing their 3-year-old son by trapping him in a top-loading washing machine and switching it on, the Guardian reported.

Christophe Champenois, 37, of Germigny-l'Eveque — a town east of Paris — told a court on Tuesday he had no memory of putting his son in the washing machine in November 2011.

Champenois is charged with the murder, while the boy's mother, Charlene Cotte, 29, is charged with aiding and abetting, the newspaper said.

He allegedly switched the washing machine on to a wash cycle that lasts between 30 minutes and an hour with their son, Bastien, inside. The court was told Bastien died from the impact of the cycle, not from drowning.

The Guardian reported the boy's mother told police while the child was inside screaming, his father browsed the Internet and she did a jigsaw puzzle with their young daughter. After the boy's death, his father called emergency services, claiming Bastien fell down the stairs.

Cotte told police when they removed him from the machine, Champenois said, "At least he won't bother us anymore."

Social services had recieved three reports from the home of a child in danger and nine of "worrying information," before the alleged murder.

Contact Kristen DeSilva at kdesilva@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva