Maid admits suffocating her newborn

A maid suffocated her newborn child – believed to have resulted from an illicit relationship – by stuffing a piece of cloth in his mouth minutes after he was born, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The court was told that on the morning of September 16 this year, the Filipino maid, 32, went to the house of her sponsor’s sister in Al Qusais.

The sister, a flight attendant, said: “She looked very pale and tired. I asked her what was wrong with her, and she said she had her period and wasn’t feeling well.”

She said the maid excused herself to use the toilet and remained in the bathroom for about two hours, during which time the sister, 36, knocked on the door to check on her.

“She wouldn’t open, but just said that she was in pain and would come out soon,” the sister said.

“When she did, she was carrying a plastic bag that she placed near the kitchen door before lying down.

“I offered to take her to a hospital but she refused strongly.”

But when the maid began bleeding heavily about 3pm, the woman called for an ambulance that took the maid to a hospital.

There it was revealed that she had given birth hours before.

Police were notified and a patrol was sent to the apartment in Al Qusais.

“We found bloodied women’s clothes and a baby boy’s dead body with a piece of cloth in his mouth,” a policeman said.

A forensics expert confirmed the boy had been suffocated. The accused admitted becoming pregnant after having an affair, but she did not identify the father.

In court yesterday, the defendant admitted to a charge of premeditated murder.

The next hearing has been scheduled for January 3 to appoint a defence lawyer.