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Woman guilty of infanticide gets suspended sentence

May 1, 2018 6:58 pm

A 45-year-old woman convicted of one count of infanticide has been sentenced to 2 years imprisonment which has been suspended for 3 years.

The court heard that the woman got pregnant out of wedlock and she did not inform anyone of her pregnancy as she was warned that if she got pregnant again she will have to leave the family house.

The woman is a single mother and has two children.

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The woman gave birth to a baby boy on 13th August 2014 in a bush in Nadroga.
After giving birth she tried to hold the baby and take him with her to the village but she could not as she was feeling weak and dizzy.

She crawled for 40 meters leaving her baby behind.

The court heard that the baby died due to excessive loss of blood and also predation by animals.

Lautoka High Court Judge Justice Sunil Sharma said that this is yet another sad case where an accused suffered in silence without any social or emotional support from her family.

She has also been ordered to undergo counselling.