WILDMILL WOMAN GIVEN SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR HIDING STILLBORN BABIES' BODIES
A woman named Egle Žilinskaitė has been sentenced for hiding the remains of her two stillborn babies inside her home in Wildmill, Bridgend.She delivered the babies 'alone and without medical support' after concealing her pregnancies due to a 'fundamental distrust of authorities, both in the UK and based on her experiences in Lithuania where she was born,' according to a judge at Cardiff Crown Court.
Žilinskaitė was handed a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work along with a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Her former partner, Žilvinas Ledovskis, was acquitted of the same charges last month.
During the sentencing, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke stated, "You made a deliberate decision not to seek assistance from the authorities because you knew the authorities could and would remove your children if necessary.
While you have committed serious offences, the deaths of your children were not your fault and you have suffered the loss of two children at birth." The police discovered the bodies when searching her property in November 2022, noticing a 'foul smell' that prompted further investigation.
The first baby was found in the attic wrapped in blankets and bin bags, and a second body was discovered in the airing cupboard.
Medical examinations confirmed both babies were full-term males and the biological children of Žilinskaitė and her then-partner.
Both appeared to have been stillborn at full-term, with no determined cause of death due to decomposition.
Žilinskaitė had given birth to the first baby in August 2019 at a different address and moved the remains to her home in Bridgend, where she delivered a second stillborn in September 2021.
Her defense argued she was vulnerable, suffering from depression and fearing blame, particularly given her difficult relationship with an alcoholic and emotionally abusive partner.
Žilinskaitė pleaded guilty to concealing the birth of two children and preventing lawful burial on April 10, 2024.
Her partner, Ledovskis, 50, of Swansea, was found not guilty of the same charges earlier this year.
