A mother has been accused of battering her newborn daughter to death before wrapping her lifeless body in a plastic bag and hiding it in a bush.
29-year-old Hannah Cobley allegedly gave birth to a baby girl when she was at her parents’ house in Leicestershire, England.
Following the birth, the baby was found dead and wrapped in several plastic bags that the woman hid in a bush.
At the Leicester Crown Court, the woman pleaded not guilty and claimed that her baby was stillborn. She also claimed that the girl was a result of a one-night stand with a total stranger.
Following an inquest into the baby’s death, however, the investigators found that the girl, who only got to live for two hours, suffered significant injuries to her head.
“Neither the father of the child, whose identity is unknown, nor the mother’s family and friends, were aware of the pregnancy, which was the product of a consensual one-night stand with a stranger,” Prosecutor Jonas Hankin told the jury.
“Although premature at 32 weeks’ gestation, she was a normal, healthy baby. According to the defendant, the birth was rapid and uncomplicated.
“She did not describe experiencing any significant pain. If Miss Cobley had brought her pregnancy to medical attention prior to the delivery, good obstetric and midwifery care would most likely have ensured her baby was delivered in good condition.
“If having given birth, Miss Cobley had alerted her parents and summoned an ambulance, and been taken with her baby to hospital, it is highly likely the baby would have survived.
“However, Miss Cobley did nothing to ensure her baby lived. On the contrary, the prosecution case is that Miss Cobley, with chilling clarity of purpose, deliberately and intentionally killed her baby. First, she silenced the baby’s cries by forcing something into her throat, causing injury.
“Then she assaulted the baby, causing very severe head injuries. Finally, despite recognizing the baby might still be alive, she sealed the baby inside three plastic bags – one on top of the other – and abandoned her body in an overgrown area of the garden.
Post-mortem examinations subsequently revealed the baby had survived her injuries for two hours or more before dying.”
While the trial continues, the woman maintains her innocence and claims that the baby was born dead and that she has no recollection of inflicting injuries to her.
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