Mum Jailed for Life for Killing Newborn Son

A community worker, who murdered her newborn baby son after delivery, was sentenced to life imprisonment by High Court in Labasa yesterday.

Sonal Sandhya Lata charged with one count of murder appeared before Judge Justice, Pita Bulamainaivalu.

She pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty during the trial and convicted accordingly.

It is alleged that she committed the offence on June 14, 2020, at her home in Boubale, Labasa.

The court heard that the 38-year-old wife murdered the baby by cutting his neck when attempting to cut the umbilical cord which was tweeled around the baby’s neck.

The mother of two children concealed her pregnancy even from her husband, she had said that she had a stomach cyst.

Judge Justice Bulamainaivalu said one of the aggravating factors found was that the accused was reckless in terms of taking immense risk by not attending pregnancy medical clinics during the gestation period as required of pregnant women. She concurrently endangering her own life as well.

He sentenced her to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of nine years.

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