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Mother accused of abandoning baby in rubbish chute has been remanded for 3 months, judge urges haste

Mother accused of abandoning baby in rubbish chute has been remanded for 3 months, judge urges haste

A baby was found alive in a rubbish chute in Bedok North. (Photo: Cindy Co)

SINGAPORE: A woman accused of abandoning her baby in a rubbish chute in Bedok North in January has been remanded three months, with the judge urging the prosecution to expedite investigations.

The 26-year-old woman, who cannot be named in order to protect the child's identity, has been remanded since Feb 15.

She was charged then with exposing her son with the intention of abandoning him by throwing him down the chute at about 6.15am on Jan 7.

READ: Mother charged with abandoning baby in Bedok North rubbish chute

The newborn was reportedly discovered by several cleaners clearing rubbish when they spotted him wrapped in a blood-stained supermarket plastic bag.

After she was charged, the woman was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric observation.

However, it has been three months since, said the judge. He urged the prosecution to speed up the investigations and get a "concrete position" by the next hearing.

Noting the length of remand, the police prosecutor said they would like to offer a lower bail amount of S$10,000.

The woman's lawyer said her client was "regrettably unable to post bail", but said she wished to be bailed out in order to get access to her son.

The defence counsel asked the prosecution if it was considering applying for a discharge, or dropping the charge.

The prosecutor said she was unable to disclose her position and asked the lawyer to write in to the Attorney-General's Chambers for more information.

She asked for six weeks' adjournment to complete investigations and firm up medical reports, with clarifications from IMH.

However, the defence called instead for a shorter adjournment.

The judge adjourned the case to Jun 11.

If convicted of exposing her child with the intention of abandoning him, the woman can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.

Source: CNA/ll

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