A Filipina domestic helper was sentenced to 10 months in jail on Feb 2 at West Kowloon Court after admitting she aborted her pregnancy illegally.
At the District Court in Wanchai, another OFW indicated she was ready to plead guilty to infanticide for killing her newborn in April last year.
Christine Mae Villanueva pleaded guilty to a charge of “administering a poison or other noxious thing with intent to procure miscarriage” before Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong of the West Kowloon Court.
Villanueva was arrested by police on Sept 18 after she was suspected to have aborted her baby in a grocery shop in Tai Po, New Territories, by using abortion pills. Her baby was believed to be 19 weeks old when aborted.
Magistrate Cheang sentenced Villanueva to 10 months in jail after giving her a one-third discount for her guilty plea.
Meanwhile, the lawyer of Aileen Grado told the District Court that the defendant was ready to plead guilty to killing and dumping her newborn in a toilet bowl in a Tsuen Wan commercial center in April last year.
Judge Justin Ko set down the formal hearing of her plea on May 4.
Grado, 37, appeared for the first time in District Court following the transfer of her case from the West Kowloon Court, where she last appeared on Jan 11.
No bail application was made on her behalf so Judge Ko ordered her remanded in jail
Grado is accused of dumping the body of her newborn in a toilet bowl in a commercial center in Sham Tseng, Tsuen Wan, in April last year.
The helper allegedly delivered the baby boy at a nearby estate, wrapped it in layers of tissue paper and cloth, put it in a bag, then took it to the ladies’ toilet in the commercial center.
A mall staff found the wrapped body under the water closet when she traced the source of a foul smell in the toilet on April 4.
Grado was arrested a week later in Central after her former employer told police about the maid confessing she was pregnant and resigning.
