A 27-year-old woman was sentenced to 1.5 years of jail on the 18 Aug 2020 after she threw her newborn into a rubbish chute from the third floor with the intention to kill him. The woman pleaded guilty to one count of attempted culpable homicide.
The incident happened on the 27 Jan 2020, the woman was at home when she felt discomfort in her abdomen. The woman then went to the toilet and give birth to the baby boy. After giving birth to the baby she went on to place him in a plastic bag and threw the baby into the rubbish chute.
She then took a shower to clean up herself and went back to sleep. She then told the people around her that she had a miscarriage.
Luckily, the baby was found by cleaners employed by the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council who were doing their rounds. The cleaners heard the baby crying and decided to investigate, they immediately informed their supervisor after finding a plastic bag with blood on it.
Town council property officers rushed to the scene and found the baby boy covered in blood after tearing open the plastic bag. The baby was later rushed to the hospital fo treatment.
The police went to the woman home the following to asked her family and her if they know anything about the incident. She denied knowing anything but she later confessed to her friend that she was the one who threw the baby down the rubbish chute. She then surrendered herself as advised by her friend.
During the court hearing, the prosecutor requested the court to sentence her to 2 years of jail as the woman was still aware of what she is doing. She can even clean herself up after the act.
However, the defence lawyer tried to ask for probation for his client. He states that the woman did not know that she was pregnant and she was shocked when she saw the baby falling out in the toilet.
According to the law, anyone convicted of attempted culpable homicide could be jailed up to 7 years and fine.