A 22-year-old Malaysian student in the United Kingdom (UK) has been convicted of murder after her disposal of her newborn.
She had placed the infant in a cereal box after giving birth on her bathroom floor.
Jia Xin Teo, who arrived in the UK earlier this year to study at Coventry University, carried the baby to full term and gave birth on 4 March in the en-suite bathroom of her student hall bedroom.
Source: West Midlands Police
She had hid her newborn in a cereal box and then placed it in a sealable plastic bag before putting it into a suitcase, reported British news outlet The Guardian.
Teo later informed police that her baby had survived “at least a number of minutes” and was still moving when she placed her into the box and bag, according to Prosecutor David Mason KC.
It was reported that Teo had hidden her pregnancy and refused help from a flatmate who broke into her room and discovered her bed “covered in blood”.
She had then locked herself in the bathroom and turned down medical assistance when the ambulance arrived.
Teo would later take a taxi to the hospital where she denied giving birth when hospital staff questioned her.
According to BBC, the staff reported the incident to West Midlands police who then investigated her property.
Officers found the deceased newborn in a suitcase in Teo’s bedroom, two days after she gave birth.
At the discovery, Teo admitted to giving birth. She said she was worried that her family and friends in Malaysia would find out about her baby and that it would affect her studies.
She also claimed that she was hearing voices telling her to get rid of the child.
Teo was convicted of murder on Thursday (24 Oct).
James Leslie Francis from the Crown Prosecution Service noted that she had the opportunity to seek help and the baby could have survived.
However, Teo decided to place her baby inside a cereal box knowing that it would lead to her death.
“She lied to friends who cared about her, to doctors at the hospital and the police so that no one found her baby. She did not tell the police where she hid her baby until two days had passed by which time the baby would certainly be dead,” said Mr Francis.
Teo’s sentencing will take place at a later time.
Also read: 4-month-old baby in Taiwan allegedly starves to death after mum leaves her alone for 8 days
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Featured image adapted from West Midlands Police and Juan Manuel Sanchez on Unsplash, for illustrative purposes only.
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