UAE | Crime

Woman to spend three years in jail for strangling newborn

A mother will spend three years behind bars for strangling her newborn to death after she delivered in a hospital's bathroom, ruled a court on Tuesday.

  • By Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter
  • Published: 00:11 June 4, 2008
  • Gulf News

Dubai: A mother will spend three years behind bars for strangling her newborn to death after she delivered in a hospital's bathroom, ruled a court on Tuesday.

The Dubai Court of First Instance incriminated the 33-year-old Indonesian housemaid, M.B., with intentionally strangling her illegitimate newborn after giving birth to a baby girl in a hospital bathroom. She will be deported after serving her punishment.

The Public Prosecution charged the accused with the premeditated strangling of her newborn and repeatedly banging her head on the floor of the bathroom where she gave birth.

Blue blanket

The newborn's body was found wrapped in a blue blanket which was stained with blood and left on a bed. A forensic doctor who examined the newborn's body confirmed that she died of severe skull fractures, which led to bleeding in the brain, and that strangulation speeded up the death.

An Indian nurse testified: "The suspect used to escort one of our female patients who was hospitalised on the seventh floor. At around 4am on the day of the incident, I recognised that the suspect was tired when she came to visit the patient. I moved her to the emergency ward when I spotted blood on the floor. Later I saw blood on the bathroom floor."

Another nurse testified: "I saw a blue blanket left on the sofa bed. The blood-soaked blanket turned out to be heavy when I tried to pick it up and give it to the cleaner. I was shocked to see the newborn wrapped in the blanket."

Crackdown

Passports seized in Dish TV crackdown

Dubai airport

Swords, knives, fake guns seized in Dubai

India-Pakistan

New visa rules thrill cross-border couples

Community Reports

More from Community Reports

Video

In the lanes of Deira Spice Souq

Gallery

A pick of the best pictures taken by readers