Woman sentenced for abandoning dead newborn in shopping mall toilet

The Busan District Court on Friday has sentenced a woman in her 20s who left her dead newborn in a shopping mall restroom in October of last year to six years in prison.

The mother is accused of giving birth in the bathroom of her home on Oct. 4 last year and not making any attempts to save the baby from falling into the toilet water, with the newborn suffocating as a consequence. Prosecutors believe there were no actions taken such as the mother to save her child.

The following day, the woman disposed of the body by covering it with a paper bag and leaving it in the trashcan of a shopping mall restroom in Busan. A cleaner discovered the body after noticing the significant weight of the trash bag while carrying it out of the restroom.

The accused has admitted that she abandoned the infant, but denies murder charges, claiming that she believed she had a stillbirth, as the baby did not cry or move.

Besides the six-year sentence, the court has also ordered the woman to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program. She will also not be allowed to work at any child-related institution for five years.