Student, 22, guilty of murdering newborn by putting it into cereal box

A student who killed the newborn baby she carried in secret by putting her in a Kellogg's cereal box and placing it inside a suitcase, has today been convicted of murder.

Jia Xin Teo, 22, from Malaysia, arrived in the UK earlier this year to study at Coventry University and 'probably knew' she was pregnant when she arrived, a jury heard, but hadn't told anybody she was expecting – including the father of the baby back home in Malaysia.

She gave birth to a full-term baby on March 4 and moments later placed her in a cereal box, then inside a sealable plastic bag and finally into a suitcase.

Prosecutor David Mason KC told the court: 'According to the account she gave the police, her baby definitely survived a least a number of minutes and was still moving when she put the little girl into the box and then the bag.'

By the time police discovered the body two days later, the baby was dead, the Crown Prosecution Service said. 

Teo, of Raglan Street, denied murdering her baby and said she had been hearing voices which told her to kill or harm the baby.

But a jury, sitting at Warwickshire Crown Court in Leamington Spa, rejected that defence and found her guilty. She will be sentenced at a later date.

During the trial, the court heard that the pregnancy was only discovered after friends in her halls of residence forced entry to her bedroom after becoming concerned about Teo and found 'blood everywhere'. 

Mr Mason said that when Teo's friends entered her bedroom they found blood stains, smears and clots all over the room. 

Teo had locked herself in the bathroom but was eventually persuaded to come out.

Paramedics were called but Teo refused to go to hospital and was instead transferred to a room so the blood stains could be cleaned.

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Student, 22, killed newborn baby by placing it in a cereal box after giving birth, court hears

Mr Mason said one of her friends had helped to move her belongings, which 'unbeknown to him' included the red suitcase containing the baby girl.

Teo eventually agreed to go to hospital and was admitted to an emergency gynaecology unit, where a pregnancy test proved positive.

But the defendant refused a vaginal examination and denied giving birth. 

Medics knew otherwise and called police, the jury heard. Officers were sent to both the ward and her halls of residence in Coventry.

Warwick Crown Court heard Teo eventually admitted giving birth and told police where she had hidden the infant. 

Mr Mason told jurors that for a defence of infanticide, those representing Teo would have to establish that her mind was or might have been disturbed or not fully recovered from the effect of giving birth. 

Two psychiatrists were of the opinion that such a defence was open to her, he added.

But Mr Mason said Teo had 'deliberately hid her pregnancy from everyone', lied to the doctors about giving birth and refused a vaginal exam.

He told jurors: 'You can infer that if it hadn't been for the heavy blood loss the birth would have remained secret' and said her disposal of the baby 'required significant thought'.

Speaking after the case, James Leslie Francis, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Jia Xin Teo hid her pregnancy from everyone she knew and arrived in the UK knowing she was likely to give birth here. 

'She had opportunity to seek help, but instead chose to carry her pregnancy in secret and give birth alone.

'After she gave birth, she still did not tell anybody and refused to go to hospital to get checked. 

'She lied to friends who cared about her, to doctors at the hospital and to the police so no-one found her baby. 

'She did not tell the police where she hid her baby until two days had passed, by which time the baby would certainly be dead.

'Baby Teo was alive after birth and could have survived, but Jia Xin Teo made the decision to place her inside a cereal box knowing it would kill her. 

'Today, the jury has made the decision to convict her for her actions and I would like to thank them for their careful consideration in this complex and sensitive case.'