RI maid jailed for killing newborn

RI maid jailed for killing newborn

HONG KONG: An Indonesian maid has been sentenced to two years in prison for killing her baby daughter and then burying the body on a beach at an outlying Hong Kong island, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Hong Kong High Court Justice Colin Jackson imposed the sentence Friday on Sugiati Giyono, 23, after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter, according to the South China Morning Post.

Jackson said Giyono could not be convicted of murder because she may have been mentally disturbed after giving birth, the paper reported.

The eight-day-old baby -- whose mouth, nose and eyes were covered with adhesive tape -- was found floating off a beach in Cheung Chau last year.

Giyono reportedly claimed she had covered her baby's nose and mouth because they were bleeding. Giyono said she then fainted and when she revived several hours later the baby was dead.

Giyono also told the court she buried her daughter at the beach because her religious beliefs meant that the body had to be buried as soon as possible, the Post reported. -- AP