Woman on trial in UAE for murdering her newborn

Prosecutors said no one at her employer's home knew about the pregnancy.

by

Ismail Sebugwaawo

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Published: Fri 10 May 2019, 4:21 PM

Last updated: Fri 10 May 2019, 4:51 PM

A housemaid had stabbed her newborn baby to death because she didn't know the child's father, an Abu Dhabi court has heard.
The Ethiopian went on trial at the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance, accused of killing the newborn boy.
Court documents stated that the woman, who was working for an Arab family in Abu Dhabi, got pregnant through an illicit relationship. She told the authorities that she didn't know the man who impregnated her.
Prosecutors said no one at her employer's home knew about the pregnancy as she kept it a secret.
"The housemaid kept the pregnancy and planned to get rid of the baby after birth," a prosecutor told the court.
"And when she felt labour pain, she went to a nearby abandoned house where she delivered the baby boy by herself. She then stabbed the baby with a kitchen knife until he died."
The woman was caught by local residents who notified the police after realising that she had just killed her baby boy.
Prosecutors charged her with getting pregnant through an illicit relationship and killing the baby. The woman denied intentionally killing her baby when she appeared in court.
Her lawyer argued that the woman suffered from a mental problem and wasn't aware of her actions after giving birth. "During pregnancy, she had psychological problems resulting from the pain due to lack of treatment and the fear of getting caught by her sponsor," the lawyer told the court.
"The bad condition she went through affected her brains and couldn't control her action, especially after giving birth."
The lawyer asked the court to be lenient to her client.
However, a psychiatric report presented to the court during the latest hearing after examining the housemaid showed that the woman was normal and fully aware of her actions.
The trial was adjourned until May 29.
 
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Abu Dhabi