Maid admits to suffocating her newborn baby

A 32-year-old maid suffocated her newborn baby, which is thought to have resulted from an illicit relationship, by stuffing a piece of cloth in his mouth minutes after he was born, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The court heard that on the morning of September 16 this year, the Filipino maid went to the house of her sponsor's sister in Al Qusais area of Dubai.

The sponsor's sister, a 36-year-old flight attendant, said: "[The maid] looked very pale and tired. I asked her what was wrong with her, she said she had her period and wasn't feeling well."

She said the maid excused herself to use the toilet and remained in the bathroom for about two hours, during which time the sister knocked on the door to check on her.

"She wouldn't open, but just said that she was in pain and will come out soon. When she did, she was carrying a plastic bag that she placed near the kitchen door before lying down on the chair. I offered to take her to a hospital, but she refused strongly," said the flight attendant.

When the maid began bleeding heavily at around 3pm, however, the woman called for an ambulance, which took the maid to a Dubai hospital where it was revealed that she had given birth hours before.

"I accompanied her to the hospital along with my husband and sister, who is her sponsor. Shortly after she was admitted, the doctor came out and told us she was bleeding after giving birth," said the flight attendant.

Police were notified and a patrol was dispatched to the apartment in Al Qusais.

"We started searching the apartment for evidence after we were told she gave birth, then saw a blood trail and spotted a plastic bag. We opened it and found bloodied women's clothes. When we took them out, we found a baby boy's dead body with a piece of cloth in his mouth," said an Emirati first lieutenant, 37.

The infant's body was referred to the morgue where it was examined and a forensic expert confirmed he had been suffocated to death.

"The infant was born alive and healthy and the examination of his body revealed scratches and bruises in the face, nose, and neck, which all resulted from suffocation," said the forensic expert, 33.

During police questioning, the accused admitted getting pregnant after having an affair, but she didn't say with whom.

It was not disclosed in records how the woman's sponsors failed to spot the pregnancy over the previous months.

In court this Wednesday morning, the defendant admitted to a premeditated murder charge. She said she had done it by pressing on the infant's face after stuffing a piece of cloth in his mouth until he stopped breathing.

The next hearing will be on January 3 to appoint a defence lawyer for the accused after she said she cannot afford to hire her own lawyer.