Woman who dumped baby in bin loses final appeal

Dubai: A court brought the case of a woman who dumped her illegitimate newborn in a garbage bin to an end when it confirmed she would serve an "irrevocable" three-year prison sentence.

The Dubai Court of Cassation upheld the initial verdict and issued a final ruling against the Filipina, M.K., a housemaid. The Public Prosecution charged her with attempting to kill her newborn by putting her in a plastic bag and dumping the bag in a garbage container.

M.K. who has been detained for more than six months will be deported after serving her term.

A security guard saved the newborn girl from the garbage bin where he saw M.K. dumping her.

M.K. pleaded innocent and said she thought her child was stillborn.

M.K's lawyer earlier told the court: "My client didn't intend to kill her newborn. She thought she had given birth to a dead baby inside the toilet of a driving school, where she was waiting for a driving test.

"The baby's face was blue and my client thought the baby had died, so she put her in the bag."

He said his client had an illicit affair with a Pakistani.

The guard testified that the baby was hidden inside three plastic bags inside a bin near the driving institute.