An Amherstburg woman will be sentenced in September for dumping the body of a newborn baby in a dumpster.
A sentencing hearing was held Friday for Samantha Richards, who pleaded guilty in a London court on May 18 to concealing the body of a child after an infant was found in a shopping bag in a dumpster in downtown London.
A charge of neglect to obtain assistance during child birth was withdrawn last December.
Court heard Richards is having a difficult time forgiving herself, and could be seen wiping away tears during Friday’s hearing.
Her lawyer Patricia Brown said Richards feels shame, guilt and self-hatred and has kept to herself at home since being charged in June 2016.
Brown also told the court her client was exposed to abuse as a child.
Crown attorney Konrad De Koning called the case “unique” and “tragic.” He also said Richards believed the baby was born deceased.
Justice Duncan Grace will deliver a sentence on September 26.
The defence is asking for a conditional discharge, while the crown is seeking a conditional or suspended sentence.
With a suspended sentence, Richards would have a criminal record but with a conditional sentence, she would not have a record.
