A 25-year-old Filipina receptionist, Jill Naomi Garcia Villanueva, has pleaded guilty to concealing childbirth after giving birth to a premature girl on Lantau Island in 2020. The child had already passed away when Villanueva threw her out of the window. In court, she pleaded guilty to the alternate charge of concealing the birth of a child, as she was originally charged with manslaughter. The sentencing will take place on May 3, following a probation report.
During the proceedings at the High Court, defense counsel requested the court to release Villanueva on certain conditions. The court granted her bail until the sentencing date. Villanueva's background was revealed in court, stating that she was born in the Philippines and was residing with her mother in a village house on Lantau Island when the incident occurred.
According to the information presented in court, the incident took place at around 3:30 am on February 1, 2020. Villanueva gave birth to the infant girl prematurely, between 28 to 32 weeks of pregnancy, in the toilet. She then wrapped the baby in dark clothing and threw her out of the window. The lifeless body of the infant was discovered in a narrow alley between the village houses later that morning. The police were alerted, leading to Villanueva's subsequent arrest.
During her interviews with the police, Villanueva disclosed that she had met a male Pakistani colleague in mid-July 2019 while working part-time as a receptionist. She claimed to have become accidentally pregnant after a sexual encounter with him. She informed her boss about the pregnancy but did not disclose it to her mother. In September, Villanueva visited North Lantau Hospital due to abdominal pain and was reminded of the deadline for abortion. However, she was unable to make a decision at that time and traveled back to the Philippines to visit her family.
Villanueva experienced heavy bleeding the following month but chose not to seek hospitalization out of fear that her mother would discover her condition. In December, she returned to the hospital due to abdominal pain once again. Villanueva mentioned that she was informed of the abortion fee, which amounted to approximately HK$5,000, and that her Pakistani colleague had offered to cover the cost, but she declined.
Villanueva claimed that the labor lasted approximately 10 minutes and that the infant girl did not display any signs of life, including crying or having a heartbeat. Believing the baby to be already deceased, she disposed of the body through the window, without calling for medical assistance as her mind went blank at the time. However, an autopsy later revealed that the baby had sustained multiple injuries and concluded that she may have died in her mother's womb.
In other news, local authorities are working with law enforcement agencies from four other countries to combat child pornography. Customs officials have also made arrests in a smuggling case involving the illegal importation of pets worth HK$210,000.
操縱員對隱瞞分娩的年輕菲律賓女子在5月被判刑
一位25歲的菲律賓籍操縱員Jill Naomi Garcia Villanueva於2020年在大嶼山家中分娩一名早產女嬰，該女嬰在出生時已無心跳，Villanueva將她拋出窗外。在今天的高等法院出庭時，被告Villanueva對隱瞞分娩的控罪表示認罪，原本她被控誤殺。辯方在辯護中要求法庭釋放Villanueva以特定條件，隨後法庭准許保釋，並將於5月3日根據緩刑報告對她作出判決。庭上聽取了有關Villanueva的背景資料，指出她出生於菲律賓，在大嶼山塘福村與母親同住。
根據庭審中提供的資料顯示，事件發生在2020年2月1日凌晨約3時30分，Villanueva在懷孕28至32週期間在廁所內早產。她隨後將嬰兒用黑色衣物包裹並拋出窗外。當天上午約10時30分，一名行人在村屋之間的狹窄巷道發現嬰兒的屍體，隨後報警引來警察到場，而Villanueva也因此被逮捕。
在與警方的訪談中，Villanueva透露她在2019年7月中旬在兼職擔任操縱員期間認識了一名巴基斯坦籍男同事。她聲稱在與他發生性關係後意外懷孕。她向老闆透露了懷孕的事實，但沒有告訴母親。Villanueva在九月去北大嶼山醫院接受治療時，被提醒有關墮胎的時限。然而，她當時無法做出決定，於是返回菲律賓探望家人。
次月，Villanueva出現嚴重出血，但她因擔心母親發現她的狀況而拒絕住院。十二月，她因腹痛再次就醫。Villanueva提到她得知墮胎費用約為港幣5,000元，巴基斯坦籍同事曾提出支付費用，但她拒絕了。
Villanueva表示分娩過程大約持續了10分鐘，並聲稱嬰兒女孩並未發出哭聲，也沒有心跳或其他反應。她相信嬰兒已經死亡，因此將她通過窗戶"處理"掉，並未打電話召喚救護車，因為她當時一片空白。然而，後來的驗屍結果顯示這名嬰兒身上有多處傷痕，並推斷她可能在母年內已死亡。
其他新聞方面，當地當局正與其他四個國家的執法機構合作打擊兒童色情活動。海關官員還在一起非法走私寵物案中逮捕了嫌疑人，涉案價值21萬港元。
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