Malaysian student receives life sentence for newborn's death
A Malaysian student named Jia Xin Teo hid the body of her newborn baby in a cereal box, placed it in a plastic bag, and concealed it in a suitcase for two days, hoping no one would discover she had been pregnant. A British court sentenced the 22-year-old to life imprisonment.
Jia Xin Teo, aged 22, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of murdering her newborn child. Teo gave birth to a healthy baby girl on 4 March. Tragically, she then placed the baby in a cereal box.
She wrapped the box in a plastic bag and hid the newborn's body in a suitcase, where it remained for two days. The baby tragically passed away.
Concealed pregnancy and tragic outcome
Jia Xin Teo, originally from Malaysia, concealed her pregnancy from everyone. On 6 March, she went to a British hospital, realising that her baby was "definitely no longer alive." The police were called to her apartment when doctors identified signs of childbirth, even though Teo denied ever being pregnant.
According to "The Sun," during the trial at the Crown Court in Warwickshire, UK, which concluded on 24 October, Jia Xin Teo admitted that she heard voices instructing her to harm or kill the baby. However, the court did not accept this explanation, asserting that Teo was fully aware of the consequences of her actions.
The judge emphasised in his statement that the 22-year-old understood that putting the baby in a plastic bag meant condemning it to death. Additionally, by attempting to hide the body in a cereal box, she hoped no one would ever find it.
"I am certain that your baby lived for more than four hours before you caused her death. You chose to give birth alone because you were determined that no one would know about your pregnancy. [...] You decided to dispose of your baby as soon as she was born, ensuring that no one would ever know you had given birth," quoted the judge, as reported by "The Sun".
Jia Xin Teo has been sentenced to life imprisonment. According to the court's decision, she will have to serve at least 17 years before being eligible to apply for early release.
