Woman Avoids Jail After Placing Newborn Baby in Garbage Bag, Which Partner Put in Freezer: Reports By Brenton Blanchet

An Australian woman who hid her newborn baby in a garbage bag before her partner placed it in a backyard freezer received a suspended sentence and avoided jail time.

On Friday, Aug. 1, 35-year-old Monique Ellen Burton was sentenced in Perth District Court for interfering with a corpse and multiple counts of fraud related to a GoFundMe campaign, according to Australia’s ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and news.com.au.

Per ABC, the charges stemmed from when Burton gave birth in 2022, before leaving the baby boy in a garbage bag behind a couch. Shaun Bradley Balaam, Burton’s partner, then placed the bag containing the baby into a chest freezer — with the mother later saying that the child was stillborn.

“Your motive was in part a desire to avoid the consequences of your pregnancy and because of your psychological conditions,” Judge Darren Renton said during the sentencing, per news.com.au. “You had a sticking-your-head-in-the-sand approach to deal with stressors and would go into a state of avoidance and denial.”

Per 10 News, the judge said her actions “involved a degree of indignity” and “callous disregard and moral repugnancy.”

Burton, who the judge said had “adjustment disorder” and was genuinely remorseful, had her 19-month total sentence suspended as she undergoes supervision and treatment, per ABC. According to the Herald, the 19-month prison term was suspended for 12 months and included a treatment program.

The Perth District Court did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for confirmation of her sentencing on Friday.

Balaam and Burton, who had five children together before the 2022 birth, had been together for 14 years, according to news.com.au. Burton secretly gave birth to the child at her Geraldton home on Aug. 19, 2022, before wrapping the baby in clothing and hiding it behind a couch.

After being taken to the hospital, Burton denied that she had given birth when questioned by medical staff, before eventually admitting to it. Police then discovered the baby’s body hidden in the freezer on Aug. 25.

Per ABC, Balaam was determined to not be the baby’s father following tests. He received a suspended sentence for interference with the corpse, while news.com.au specifically noted his 12-month community-based order came as he was charged with not having a lawful excuse to improperly interfere with a corpse.

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The judge said it was not possible to determine how the baby died due to the condition the body was found, according to ABC, which reports that Burton claimed the child had been stillborn, made “no noise” and “looked like a doll.” He said he believes it was “likely” the baby was. According to Renton, the mother previously concealed two pregnancies and one of her children died at a young age, per ABC.

As for the fraud charges related to the GoFundMe campaign, they stem from a fundraiser launched by a friend who was told Burton had a terminal illness before raising $3,000, according to ABC. She was allegedly aware the campaign was going to be created.