Mother pleads guilty to abandoning new-born baby

Today (Wednesday 21st May) a mother has pleaded guilty to abandoning her new-born baby in undergrowth at a Birmingham park.

The 26-year-old woman from the Kingshurst area, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court today and will be sentenced on 3rd July.

The woman had given birth in secret before leaving her baby daughter wrapped in a towel in a carrier bag in a community park off Stuarts Road in Stechford on 31st October 2013.

The child, later named Jade by hospital staff, was discovered by a dog walker and was rushed to hospital, where she was examined and found to be an hour away from death due to her low body temperature after being exposed to the elements.

West Midlands Police launched a high-profile appeal to trace the baby’s mother, which eventually led to information coming forward about the identity of the child’s mum and following forensic enquiries officers arrested the woman.

Jade, who has since been re-named and is now eight months old has fully recovered from her ordeal and is currently in foster care.

Detective Inspector Richard Cox, who led the investigation from the Public Protection Unit said: “Baby Jade was close to death when she was found, she was blue and cold and medical staff were unable to register a temperate at first. Fortunately the child was taken to hospital where she was kept for a week while an infection was treated and she is now making good progress.”

“Jade was a helpless new-born child, abandoned by her mother on a cold winters day in a park in a place where she was not visible to passers-by and where she could easily have been attacked by wild animals. It was only a huge stroke of luck that a local dog walker stopped to investigate after his dog became interested in a carrier bag hidden in undergrowth.”

DI Cox added: “The woman didn’t tell anyone about her pregnancy and gave birth in secret. Despite a nationwide media appeal, she didn’t come forward to officers to explain her actions. After she was arrested she then lied to police when she was interviewed and could not give a reasonable explanation why she abandoned her child in such a dangerous place”

Read more: http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/latest-news/news.aspx?id=917