A mother whose premature but viable baby died after she failed to seek medical treatment and was later buried in an unmarked grave in Adhari has lost her appeal.
In April, the 35-year-old Filipina and her Pakistani husband were sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of neglect that unintentionally led to the infant’s death.
They were also found guilty of not notifying authorities of its birth or death, while the mum was convicted of overstaying her visa.
The High Criminal Court ruled that the expatriate couple be deported after completing their sentence. The mother’s friend who helped her in the secret burial was also ordered to be deported.
Taking her case to the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court for a second chance, the woman’s lawyer argued that the mother did not intend to harm her child, and should be acquitted of the charges.
“A link of causality does not exist between the appellant and the death of the child,” read the defence memo.
“It is unimaginable that a mother would hurt her child – her own flesh and blood – on purpose, either physically or psychologically.
“She did not intend to commit any of the crimes of which she stands accused, she did not mean to harm her baby or neglect it, and gave it the utmost care.
“While in the dire situation she was in, the appellant tried to breastfeed the baby, and when it refused to drink, she asked her husband to bring bottles to feed it. She also asked her friend (co-defendant) to help her change the baby’s clothes and look after it. She cared for the infant to the extent she was able to.
“She also did not mislead the authorities or try to hide evidence of her crime by burying the baby. She was in shock after losing her child.
“Furthermore, her not seeing a doctor is not proof of an intention to harm the baby; it could have been the result of a lack of understanding of the risk to the baby’s life and the needs of an underdeveloped child.”
Despite these arguments, judges upheld the verdict.
In May, the 26-year-old Pakistani father also lost his appeal against the ruling.
During the initial trial, a friend of the mother – a fellow Filipina – was sentenced to six months in prison for helping her bury the baby’s body in secret.
Both Filipinas were sentenced to an additional month in prison for not having valid residency permits in Bahrain.
The GDN reported that the expat couple met online on TikTok in 2022, and that the woman came to Bahrain to join her sweetheart in early 2024.
In March 2025, she found that she was pregnant, and the couple agreed to keep the baby, but did not go to a doctor, fearing she would be deported because her visa had expired. On August 23, she gave birth alone in her apartment, despite only being six to seven months pregnant.
“She used a pair of scissors to cut the baby’s umbilical cord. The baby had a fully-formed body,” read the ruling.
“She heard it cry and tried to breastfeed it but it would not drink. The next day, around 2am, she noticed that the baby was pale and showed signs of asphyxiation, with its colour turning yellow.”
The couple tried to revive the child but it passed away. They decided to bury the child, so the mother and her co-worker met outside their workplace in the Adhari area, finding an empty lot for the grave. They dug a small hole near a mosque, wrapped the infant with a white cloth, and lowered it in. The mum promised to visit the grave, the court was told.
In December, nearly four months later, authorities were alerted about the body and it was exhumed. An autopsy stated that the baby’s body measured 40cm long, and that it had hair on its head, fully-formed bones, complete limbs and ribs connected to tissue.
The forensic doctor was unable to determine the baby’s sex. No fractures, wounds or evidence of violence were found.
Had the infant, born after six to seven months of pregnancy, been taken to hospital, it would have likely survived, according to medics.
This neglect, which is legally classified as mistreatment, unintentionally led to the baby’s death, according to the ruling.
A DNA test revealed that the defendants were the biological parents. The mother was medically examined and evidence of a recent, natural delivery was found.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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