Suspect in baby-swap case misses court date

An Emirati who gave away her baby failed to appear before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday.

DUBAI // An Emirati woman, charged with falsifying birth records by registering her newborn in the name of another woman, did not appear as instructed before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday. The primary defendant in the case, SM, 30, gave away her baby last year after leaving her husband and realising she did not have the means to take care of an infant, court records showed. While pregnant, SM approached an Emirati friend, AS, 27, and asked if she could live with her as she had no one else to turn to.

AS, who was married and living with her mother, NS, 45, agreed, as did her mother. SM then asked AS to help her deliver her baby, promising to give her the newborn in return. AS, who was infertile, agreed and provided SM with a copy of her passport and her marriage certificate to present to authorities. Both AS and NS, who are charged with criminal complicity and assisting SM in committing a crime, yesterday denied the charges before the court.

The case has been adjourned until Nov 18 to inform the first defendant to appear before the court. [e-mail]