Mother sealed newborn baby in plastic bags despite signs it was still alive, court hears

Hannah Cobley searched ‘how long can a newborn last without milk in the freezing cold’ and ‘when a baby is born how long can it survive without being fed’ on the internet after giving birth

A mother sealed her newborn baby in plastic bags and abandoned the child’s body despite signs she was still alive, a court heard.

Hannah Cobley, who concealed her pregnancy from family and friends, is alleged to have killed the infant in a “chilling” deliberate act in the early hours of 26 April 2017.

A jury heard how the 29-year-old gave birth between 2am and 2.45am into the bowl of an outside toilet at the farm where she lived with her parents and cousin in Stoney Stanton, Leicestershire.

Internet searches, which Ms Cobley accepts making, included one at 3.31am which read “how long can a newborn last without milk in the freezing cold” and another at 5.06am which asked “when a baby is born how long can it survive without being fed”.

The defendant, who left grammar school aged 15 and worked as a driver for her father’s transport business, denies murder.

Prosecutors allege the mother forced something into the child’s throat to stop her from crying, before assaulting her and sealing her in three plastic bags.

Jonas Hankin QC told a jury of five women and seven men at Leicester Crown Court: “Neither the father of the child, whose identity is unknown, nor the mother’s family and friends were aware of the pregnancy, which was the product of a consensual one-night stand.”

He added: “Miss Cobley gave birth to a living child. Although premature at 32 weeks’ gestation - roughly seven months - she was a normal healthy baby.

“If Miss Cobley had brought her pregnancy to the attention of midwife care prior to the delivery, she would most likely have ensured that her baby was delivered in good condition.”

Mr Hankin told the court the prosecution case was that Ms Cobley “with chilling clarity of purpose, deliberately and intentionally killed her baby”.

He said: “First, she silenced the baby’s cries by forcing something into her throat, which was later found to have caused injuries in that location. Then she assaulted the baby causing very severe head injuries.

“Finally, despite recognising that the baby might still be alive, she sealed the baby inside three plastic bags - layered, one on top of the other - and abandoned her body in an overgrown area of garden behind one of the farm outbuildings.”

Post-mortem examinations revealed the baby had survived her injuries for two hours or more before dying, Mr Hankin said.

The first day of Ms Cobley’s trial was told she accepted medical evidence proved that the baby was born alive, but she claimed her recollection was that the infant was stillborn.

The court heard the defendant was said to have acted normally before she was admitted to hospital three days after the birth, when she suffered a collapse due to complications.

Jurors were also told the defendant did not admit an intention to cause serious injury, and may raise a partial defence of infanticide, an alternative verdict to murder where a mother kills her child while her mind is disturbed by a failure to recover from the effects of childbirth.

The trial continues.

Press Association contributed to this report