Teens 'killed baby' after secret birth

A 15-YEAR-OLD girl and her teenage boyfriend killed their newborn baby and dumped his body in an alleyway after a secret birth at her parents' Suffolk home, a court has heard.

The baby, which had been covered with grass and leaves, was later found to have suffered a fractured skull and a broken arm which couldn't have been caused accidentally, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

Karim Khalil QC, prosecuting, said the schoolgirl had given birth during the night at her home in the Eye area while her parents, who were unaware that she was even pregnant, were asleep.

He told the court that the little boy, who was born fit and healthy, had died shortly afterwards in the early hours of October 7 last year.

“We say he was killed deliberately and the only two people who knew of his birth were the two defendants,” said Mr Khalil.

He said the baby suffered a fractured skull which caused severe brain damage and a broken arm which could not have been caused during birth or in some domestic accident.

“We say these were inflicted deliberately,” he said.

“It may be that they simply couldn't face the consequences of being so young with a baby,” he added.

The girl, now 16 and the boy, who is 17, deny murder. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

Outlining the background to the case, Mr Khalil said the couple met on the internet in 2006 and the friendship had become intense very quickly.

When the girl was 14 her boyfriend had moved in with her family and after a short period they had been allowed to share a double bed.

“Her mother took the view that she was infatuated with him,” said Mr Khalil.

He said although the girl didn't tell her parents she was pregnant she had confided in a number of friends and had told them she was planning to have an abortion in the half term holiday in February 2007.

She also said she hadn't told her parents she was pregnant because she was afraid they would throw her out and she had shown one friend a bruise on her stomach which she claimed had been caused by her boyfriend kicking her in order to get rid of the baby.

After half term no mention was made of the abortion and the girl's friends were unsure if she had ever been pregnant.

Mr Khalil said the girl was “quite plump” which meant that her pregnancy wasn't as obvious as it might have been.

“Her parents were entirely ignorant of her pregnancy,” he said.

He claimed the boy had told relatives that his girlfriend was pregnant but was going to have an abortion and had then told them they had changed their minds and were going to keep the baby after all.

Late in the evening of October 6 last year the girl had complained to her parents of having a stomach ache and they had gone to bed after advising her to take pain killers.

During the night they didn't hear anything untoward although the girl's mother later recalled hearing a cat.

“Whether or not it was the baby crying she doesn't know,” said Mr Khalil.

The court heard that following the baby's birth the boy had asked two of his brothers for help and had led them to an alleyway near his girlfriend's home where they found the baby lying face down, covered in grass and leaves.

The body was placed in a sports bag and at 12.40pm on October 7 the boy had dialled 999 saying his girlfriend had given birth at 2am and the baby had died.

The couple later gave conflicting accounts of where the birth had taken place and what had happened leading up to the baby's death.

The boy said the baby had been delivered in a shed but the girl said she had given birth in the toilet.

They also said the baby had stopped breathing after half an hour and the boy had tried to resuscitate it.

They later changed their stories with both the boy and the girl saying they had tripped and fallen on the baby.

The girl also said the baby's head may have hit the toilet seat or the doorframe after she had given birth.

The trial which is expected to last between four and five weeks continues today .