10/01/2020

A newborn baby found in a garbage bin

Unsourced

Update 30 Jul 2020: Cases of abandoned babies in Singapore

In the past 10 years, there have been 17 cases of abandoned babies in Singapore, according to statistics from the MSF.

Last year, the ministry handled one case of an abandoned baby. There were no reported cases in 2017 and 2018.

In 2016, two abandoned babies were found alive. One was abandoned at a hospital, and the other was left at the staircase of an HDB block.

related: In rare cases of abandoned babies here, one mum left newborn infant in hospital, another on staircase


read more

26-year-old woman believed to be mother charged with exposure and abandonment
Cleaners and police officers at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3, on Jan 7, 2020, where a baby boy was found abandoned in a rubbish chute.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

The Singaporean woman believed to be the mother of the baby boy abandoned in a Bedok North rubbish chute in January was charged in court on Saturday (Feb 15).

The 26-year-old, whose identity cannot be revealed because of a gag order, was charged with exposure and abandonment of a child under 12 years old.

If found guilty, she faces a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.

read more

Mother charged with abandoning baby in Bedok North rubbish chute
A baby was found alive in a rubbish chute in Bedok North. (Photo: Cindy Co)

A 26-year-old woman was charged on Saturday (Feb 15) with throwing her newborn baby boy into a rubbish chute at a Bedok flat last month, intending to abandon him. 


The baby was found alive inside a rubbish chute at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3 at about 9.10am on Jan 7. The discovery was reportedly made by several cleaners, who were clearing garbage when they saw the baby wrapped in a blood-stained supermarket plastic bag. Police had said the baby was in stable condition, with no visible injuries.

Officers from the Bedok Police Division identified the woman through ground investigations and with the help of police cameras and CCTV footage provided by residents and businesses in the neighbourhood. She was arrested on Thursday. The authorities are looking into the identity of the child's father.

read more

Two women offer to adopt infant found in rubbish bin
Mr Patwari Shamin (left) and his colleague carrying the rubbish chute bin to the bin centre on Tuesday after it had been checked. A baby boy was found alive in the bin at the bottom of a rubbish chute at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3 that morning. TNP PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

In a gruesome introduction to life, a newborn boy who was discarded like a piece of garbage could have suffocated while trapped inside a tied-up plastic bag in a rubbish bin.

But he showed an instinct for survival by crying loudly to alert two cleaners, who then rescued him from the bin.

Now two women have come forward to offer the infant a home after reading about his traumatic experience in The New Paper yesterday.

read more

Offers come in to take care of baby boy found in garbage bin
YouTube screengrab. For illustration purposes only

After a newborn baby was found alive in a rubbish bin, offers have come in to adopt the infant, says The New Paper (TNP).

Two cleaners from the area who had heard crying sounds found the baby boy with his umbilical cord still attached at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3 between 8:00 and 9:00 on the morning of Tuesday (Jan 7) inside a tied-up white plastic bag that had bloodstains. The cleaners told their supervisor, who then called the police. Patwari Shamin, one of the cleaners who found the baby, said that they had to go through the garbage pile before they found the bag with the crying infant.

According to a report from The Straits Times, there were 16 abandoned babies in Singapore between 2009 and 2018.

read more

Baby found alive in Bedok North block rubbish chute
The baby was found at the bottom of Block 534 Bedok North Street 3 on Tuesday morning

Police are searching for the parents of a baby boy who was found alive in a rubbish chute at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3 on Tuesday (Jan 7) morning.

Apart from making their rounds on every floor of the block, the authorities are also contacting owners of vehicles parked at the open-air carpark near the block to ask for footage captured by their in-car cameras.

One such driver, Mr Ng Kok Khim, told The Straits Times: “I received a call from the police asking if they can access the footage from my in-car camera. The officer said it was to assist in the investigations of a case but he didn’t give any details of the case. At first, I thought maybe someone hit my car.”

read more

Police looking for parents of abandoned baby boy
Curious members of the public gathered at the foot of Block 534, where police went from door to door on each of the 13 floors in their search for the baby's parents.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Police are searching for the parents of a baby boy who was found alive in the bin of a rubbish chute at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3 yesterday morning. They went from door to door on every floor of the 13-storey block in their search. The officers are also contacting owners of vehicles parked at the open-air carpark near the block to ask for footage from their in-car cameras.

In the past 10 years, 17 abandoned babies were found in Singapore, according to statistics from the Ministry of Social and Family Development. Last year, the ministry handled one case of an abandoned baby. There were no reported cases in 2017 and 2018. In 2016, two abandoned babies were found alive. One was abandoned at a hospital, and the other was dumped at the staircase of an HDB block.

Parents who abandon their child under the age of 12 can be jailed for up to seven years or fined, or given both punishments.

read more

Newborn baby found in tied plastic bag in Bedok North; parents still not traced
Newborn Baby - Representational Picture

After they opened the bag they found the infant with blood on his body and the umbilical cord still attached. The cleaner said that the infant was crying loudly but he did not look hurt. Later when paramedics reached the spot, the baby was handed over to them.

Later, police talked to several people from the neighbourhood and showed CCTV footage of a woman walking down the stairs to one of the second storey residents, 29-year-old Chelvi Sukumaran. As reported by The New Paper, officers asked if she knew her or had seen her around.

Officials went door to door to speak to residents in the 13-story block to trace the parents of the newborn baby. They asked owners of vehicles left at the open-air carpark nearby to show some footage from the in-car cameras. But as of now, the police couldn't find any clue about the parents.

read more

Pritam Singh says to not jump to conclusions after baby boy was found alive in Bedok North rubbish chute bin
The WP chief said that despite the distressing situation people should not draw any conclusions “... let’s not rush to judge the parents or whoever dumped the child. I hope they get help they need even as they will have to face up to what was done"

Earlier this morning (Jan 7), a baby was found alive inside a rubbish chute bin at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3. The baby was found in a plastic bag stained with blood by cleaners who were clearing the bin between 8am and 9am.

Pritam Singh, Workers’ Party (WP) chief shared on social media that he received a message this morning and some pictures on his Aljunied-Hougang Town Council MPs chat group when the baby boy was found.

He wrote: “A million thoughts crossed my head when I saw the pictures and you can imagine the thoughts expressed through words and emoticons by the other MPs, feelings I am sure many would Singaporeans share (sic)”.

read more