A 32-year-old maid who suffocated her newborn baby minutes after he was born is to have her mental health evaluated.
The baby, born though an illicit relationship, died after having a strip of cloth stuffed in his mouth.
Dubai Criminal Court heard how the tragedy unfolded on September 16 last year when the Filipino maid went to the house of her sponsor’s sister in Al Qusais.
Looking pale and tired she excused herself to use the bathroom and refused to come out for two hours.
“When she came out, she was carrying a plastic bag that she placed near the kitchen door before lying down on the chair,” said the sponsor's sister, a 36-year-old flight attendant.
Later that day the maid began bleeding heavily and she was taken to hospital. Medics discovered she had just given birth and police were dispatched to the apartment.
“The blood trail in the apartment led us to a plastic bag," an officer told the hearing. "The baby boy’s dead body was found wrapped in the woman’s bloodied clothes.”
The infant was taken to the morgue where forensic experts confirmed he had been suffocated to death.
“The examination of his body revealed scratches and bruises in the face, nose, and neck, which all resulted from suffocation,” the court was told.
The maid later admitted a premeditated murder charge. She told police she killed her son by pushing a piece of cloth in his mouth until he stopped breathing.