Indonesian woman jailed 5 months for dumping newborn in recycling bin at Tai Keng Gardens

The baby boy was found in a private residential estate near Upper Paya Lebar Road on the night of July 27. 

The 29-year-old woman, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was said to have been hired as a maid at the time of the offence. 

In 2018, she developed a relationship with a Bangladeshi man according to the court. She then discovered her pregnancy earlier this year. 

The woman tried to terminate her pregnancy by taking pills but to no avail.

On the day of the crime, the woman reportedly felt contractions and gave birth around 1pm in a bathroom in her employer’s home.

The Straits Times reported that the woman wrapped the infant in a towel and placed him in a paper bag after cutting his umbilical cord with a pair of scissors. 

She later left the baby in the recycling bin and held up the lid to allow air to enter the bin. 

The baby boy was discovered after a resident, who wishes to be known as Mr Lew, said his son-in-law heard a “strange noise” coming from the recycling bin. 

The 65-year-old said he initially thought that the sound came from a stray animal such as a cat or a dog. 

Upon a closer look, he realised that the sounds were from a baby who was wrapped in a towel and placed in a paper bag. 

His family took the baby out of the bin and called for help. An ambulance arrived soon after. Paramedics attended to the baby boy at the scene and later took him to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Police said that there were no visible injuries on the baby and his condition was stable.

ALSO READ: Woman, 29, arrested for abandoning baby in recycling bin near Upper Paya Lebar

This article was first published in theAsianparent.