Maid who buried her newborn jailed 12 weeks

SINGAPORE — A domestic worker was today (Jan 28) jailed 12 weeks by a district court for burying her newborn baby in the backyard of her employer’s home.

It is not clear if the baby was alive at the time of the birth.

In pressing for a custodial sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor Michelle Lu said that it was possible that the baby’s life could have been saved if there was early medical intervention.

Musliyati, 37, an Indonesian who is divorced with two children back home, committed the crime in November last year at Brighton Avenue in Serangoon Garden.

The court heard that Musliyati had a relationship with a Malaysian man while she was working in Singapore. Between April and October last year, she would meet the man at a hotel in Geylang on her days off and have unprotected sex with him.

Musliyati would also consume pills, believed to be contraceptives, once a month.

She did not suspect she was pregnant until August last year when she realised she was gaining weight. She wore corsets and loose clothing to conceal her protruding stomach from her employer.

On Nov 3, believing she could be pregnant, Musliyati bought three pills believed to be contraceptives from a man in Geylang. A few days later, she consumed one of the pills.

In the early hours of the morning on Nov 8, Musliyati gave birth to a baby boy while she was squatting over the toilet bowl. It is not clear if the baby was alive at the time of the birth.

Musliyati then scooped the baby out of the toilet bowl, tore the umbilical cord, wrapped the baby in a blanket, and placed him in a black plastic bag.

To conceal the birth, she dug a hole in the backyard of her employer’s home and buried the baby there. Her crime was discovered during a hospital check-up after she complained of pain and dizziness later in the day. Police found the baby’s body later.

Musliyati could have faced a maximum punishment of two years’ jail and a fine. CHANNEL NEWSASIA