ABU DHABI // A maid who became her sponsor’s second wife strangled her baby to death after keeping the pregnancy a secret, the Criminal Court heard on Tuesday.
L S, from Ethiopia, married her Emirati sponsor while working for the man’s family and continued to live with him. The sponsor, A J, was already married at the time.
The maid became pregnant but hid it from the family and later smothered the baby to death and threw the body in the rubbish bin, the court heard. She denied the charges, claiming she only placed her hand on the baby’s face to check if he was breathing.
The sponsor’s first wife told the court that she did not notice any physical changes in the maid.
She said she found out about the incident only after her son told her that police officers had found a baby’s body in the rubbish.
In previous hearings, the maid’s lawyer, Nashwa Al Qubaisi, argued her client could not have killed the baby.
A forensic doctor told the court the baby was born healthy. He found signs around the mouth that revealed the area had been subjected to pressure. This led to the closure of the respiratory tract resulting in the baby’s death.
The doctor also found bruises on the baby’s neck, which could have been consistent with being hit by an object or against something.
A verdict is expected on April 2.
aalkhoori@thenational.ae
