Geraldton mother Monique Burton handed suspended jail sentence after newborn baby found in freezer

Australia Broadcast Center

5 days ago

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
A woman who secretly gave birth in her lounge room and put the newborn in a plastic bag that was later placed in her backyard freezer has avoided going to prison, despite a Perth judge describing her actions as morally repugnant.
The judge told a West Australian court the baby was probably stillborn and even though Monique Ellen Burton, 35, admitted interfering with a corpse, she was not trying to conceal a crime.
Burton gave birth in her Geraldton home in 2022, and left the baby boy in a plastic garbage bag she then hid behind a lounge room couch.
Her partner, Shaun Bradley Balaam, later found the bag and put it into a chest freezer on the couple's back verandah, believing it may have contained a baby because Burton had previously concealed pregnancies.
Methamphetamine was detected in the baby's system after his body was eventually found by police.
Burton went to hospital, but over several days she continued to deny to health workers that she had given birth.
She eventually revealed what had happened and the baby's body was found in the freezer.
Tests revealed Balaam, who earlier had also received a suspended sentence for interfering with a corpse, was not the baby's father.
"This is a tragic case on numerous levels," District Court Judge Darren Renton said, referring to the "moral repugnance" of her conduct.
The judge said the fact that Balaam was not the child's father may have partly explained Burton's actions, even though she had denied this was why she concealed the pregnancy.
He said it was not possible to determine how the baby died because the body was frozen, although Burton had claimed the infant had been stillborn.
Her own description was that there was "no noise" from the baby and "he looked like a doll".
While he had misgivings about her credibility, Judge Renton said "it seems likely that baby Burton was stillborn".
But he said there was a "degree of indignity to baby Burton" in the circumstances that followed his birth.
Judge Renton said the concealment was "not sophisticated" and was not meant to be "permanent," and if Burton had initially told the health workers the baby was stillborn, she would not have been charged.
The judge noted that Burton had concealed two previous pregnancies, with one child passing away at a young age and the other being left on a doorstep and given up for adoption.
As well as pleading guilty to interfering with a corpse with intent to prevent an investigation, Burton pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fraud related to a GoFundMe campaign.
A friend had started the campaign after being told Burton had a terminal illness, and more than $3,000 was raised.
The judge said that while Burton had not set it up, she was aware the campaign was going to be created.
Burton had "adjustment disorder", the judge said, as well as depressive disorder, but was also genuinely remorseful about her actions and was receiving ongoing counselling.
Her total sentence of 19 months was suspended, with the judge ordering she undergo supervision and treatment in the community.