A Malaysian student who placed her newborn baby inside a cereal box before hiding it inside a suitcase has been convicted of murder by a UK court.
The BBC reported that the accused was 22-year-old Teo Jia Xin, who had arrived in the UK earlier this year to pursue her studies at Coventry University.
M’sian student in the UK hides baby inside suitcase
According to The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Teo gave birth to the baby at full term on Mar 4 and placed her inside a cereal box. She then proceeded to put the baby inside a sealable plastic bag before putting it inside a suitcase.
The CPS added that Teo was fully aware that the baby “was alive after birth and could have survived but decided to place her inside a cereal box knowing that it would kill her.”
Denied giving birth, later admits to it
Two days later, officers from the West Midlands Police turned up at Teo’s residence after she came at the hospital showing signs of having given birth.
Initially, Teo denied having a baby when asked by hospital staff but later admitted to police, adding that she hid her pregnancy from her friends and family back in Malaysia out of fear and believed it would affect her studies.
Claimed ‘voices’ in her head told her to kill baby
In court, Teo claimed that she had been hearing voices in her head which told her to kill or harm the baby, but her defense was rejected by a Warwick Crown Court jury.
Following her conviction, CPS’ Â James Leslie Francis said Teo came to the UK knowing that she would give birth there and had a chance in seeking help.
“However, she chose to to carry her pregnancy in secret and give birth alone. Additionally, she refused to go to hospital to get checked after giving birth and lied to friends who cared about her, to doctors at the hospital and to the police so that no-one found her baby,” he said.
Teo is expected to be sentenced at a later date.
READ ALSO:
