A 27-year-old Christchurch mother has admitted killing her newborn baby and hiding its corpse in her wardrobe for 45 days.
The woman, who has interim name suppression, appeared at Christchurch District Court this morning to admit the charge of infanticide.
Police say the unemployed woman became pregnant in early 2010, but hid her pregnancy from family, who she lived with.
On October 23 that year she gave birth in her bedroom at her home in Christchurch, Crown Prosecutor Kathy Bell told court this morning.
The woman's parents and eight-year-old daughter were at home during this time and were unaware of the birth.
The court heard the woman tied the umbilical cord with some wool, cleared the mouth and rubbed the newborn infant on the back.
The baby began to breathe and the accused then "smothered the infant by placing her hand over the air passages.''
The baby died, and the woman placed its tiny body "amongst some clothing'' inside a pink recyclable shopping bag before placing the bag at the front of her wardrobe.
She then cleaned her bedding and the carpet in her room to "hide any evidence of the birth from her family,'' a police statement of facts outlines.
The statement goes on to say that the woman used air freshener and fly spray to hide the smell of the decomposing corpse, and family were prevented from entering her room.
The newborn infant remained in the wardrobe for "approximately 45 days'' until it was found by the accused's mother in "a severely decomposed state''.
When spoken to by police, the accused initially denied infanticide, but later admitted the facts, and pleaded guilty today in court.
Police said a scene examination found evidence of staining on her bedroom's mattress and carpet.
The post mortem examination results indicate that the newborn infant was a full-term healthy female baby.
Interim name suppression was continued by Justice Lester Chisholm after a request by defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger.
The woman was remanded to Hillmorton Hospital for a sentence date of April 17.
