In a recent tragic development, a Malaysian student studying in the United Kingdom has been convicted of murder after taking the life of her newborn baby.
West Midlands Police reported that Teo Jia Xin pleaded guilty to the murder charge after the body of a newborn baby was found stuffed in a cereal box and hidden in a suitcase.
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She said “the voices” told her to get rid of her baby
Earlier, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) shared that Teo said she was hearing voices telling her to get rid of her baby. But a jury at Warwick Crown Court didn’t buy her story.
The CPS explained that the 22-year-old went through her pregnancy all the way and gave birth on March 4. After that, she put the newborn in a cereal box, then sealed it in a plastic bag and stored it in a suitcase.
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She denied having recently given birth
West Midlands police were called to Teo’s home on March 6 after she went to the hospital, showing signs of having recently given birth. Hospital staff had asked her if she had just had a baby, but Teo, who had only arrived in the UK earlier this year, denied it.
Prosecutors pointed out that the baby was alive after birth, and she knew that the child would die after being placed in the cereal box. It wasn’t until the police questioned her that she confessed to giving birth.
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She lied to everyone to prevent anyone from finding out
Teo reportedly hid her pregnancy because she was afraid her family and friends back in Malaysia would find out, and she thought it might affect her studies.
After the conviction, James Leslie Francis from the CPS mentioned that Teo came to the United Kingdom knowing she might give birth there and had the chance to seek help.
“She decided to keep her pregnancy a secret and gave birth alone. She also lied to her worried friends, hospital doctors, and the police to keep anyone from discovering her baby,” he said.
Teo was remanded until her trial, which began in October this year and will be sentenced at a later date.
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