Woman admits dumping Baby Jade in Birmingham park

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to a count of child cruelty in connection with the discovery of the infant, named Baby Jade by hospital staff.

The woman, 26, wiped away tears in the dock at Birmingham Crown Court after admitting she wilfully abandoned the baby "in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health".

Baby Jade was found in a park in the Stechford area of Birmingham in October last year.

The facts of the case were not opened at today's hearing, but the defendant's barrister described the background to the offence as "unusual if not extraordinary".

Judge Murray Creed ordered psychiatric and probation reports to be prepared on the woman, who was granted conditional bail until a sentencing hearing on July 3.

West Midlands Police today said the woman had given birth in secret before leaving Jade wrapped in a towel in a carrier bag in a community park off Stuarts Road on October 31.

The child, later named Jade by hospital staff, was discovered by a dog walker and rushed to hospital, where she was examined and found to be an hour away from death due to her low body temperature after being exposed to the elements.

West Midlands Police launched a high-profile appeal to trace the baby's mother, which eventually led to information coming forward about the identity of the child's mum and following forensic enquiries officers arrested the woman.

Jade, who has since been re-named and is now eight months old has fully recovered from her ordeal and is currently in foster care.

Det Insp Richard Cox, who led the investigation from the Public Protection Unit said: "Baby Jade was close to death when she was found, she was blue and cold and medical staff were unable to register a temperate at first. Fortunately the child was taken to hospital where she was kept for a week while an infection was treated and she is now making good progress."

"Jade was a helpless new-born child, abandoned by her mother on a cold winters day in a park in a place where she was not visible to passers-by and where she could easily have been attacked by wild animals. It was only a huge stroke of luck that a local dog walker stopped to investigate after his dog became interested in a carrier bag hidden in undergrowth."

"The woman didn't tell anyone about her pregnancy and gave birth in secret.

"Despite a nationwide media appeal, she didn't come forward to officers to explain her actions. After she was arrested she then lied to police when she was interviewed and could not give a reasonable explanation why she abandoned her child in such a dangerous place"