BOGNOR WOMAN WALKS FREE AFTER TRAGIC BABY KILLING
A woman who killed her daughter shortly after giving birth in the bathroom of her West Sussex home is to walk free.Gintare Suminaite's baby was the result of a secret affair and she kept her pregnancy hidden, the Old Bailey heard.
Suminaite, of Bognor Regis, denied murder but admitted infanticide as she was mentally disturbed by giving birth.
The 30-year-old suffered significant blood loss and an injury.
Mr Justice Nicol stated her circumstances were "tragic in themselves".
She was sentenced to a 24-month community order with a rehabilitation requirement order after spending 298 days on remand.
The judge commented, "You were overwhelmed by the stress of your situation and in a state of partial denial during the pregnancy," and added, "At the time of giving birth you were in a state of extreme anxiety and panic." The court heard that Suminaite kept her pregnancy hidden from authorities and her long-term partner, with whom she had a child.
She planned to run away with her lover, a fellow Lithuanian, but did not want to be separated from her existing child, so he went alone.
On 5 April last year, she left work early citing "big problems" and gave birth.
Her partner found her bleeding and pale in their bathroom surrounded by blood and a baby bath full of clothes.
The child was later discovered to be dead, with a ligature around her neck, hidden in wet towels.
Suminaite initially claimed she did not know why she strangled her baby.
The court also noted she had been emotionally and socially isolated in England, and her former boyfriend had cut ties with her but she maintained contact with her lover who had returned to England.
She appeared in court via videolink from Bronzefield jail.
