A 27-year-old woman has pleaded guilty in Christchurch District Court to disposing of the body of a baby boy with intent to conceal his birth.
The woman, who has name suppression, gave birth to the boy in a park near her home some time in July or August, but the court was told on Thursday she does not remember whether he was alive or dead.
She held on to the baby for four days, trying to warm him, the court heard, before hiding him in a laundry basket in her garage.
Two months later, the woman was evicted from her house and arranged for a friend to store her property, including the basket, in a shed on a Waltham property.
The owner of the property discovered the mummified baby in February while clearing out the contents of the shed.
The judge ordered a psychiatric report and remanded the woman on bail to be sentenced in June.
