Woman abandons baby in priest’s office

An Eritrean woman abandoned her two-month-old baby in the office of a priest in desperation when he told her she would have to wait if she wanted accommodation to be found for the whole family, a court heard yesterday.

The woman, Kadaja Osman Mahmud, 21, who currently lives at Bon Pastur convent in Balzan, had demanded that Fr Alfred Vella at Dar L-Emigrant in Valletta allow her husband to reside at the convent too.

However, the priest told her that although the couple were married, in the eyes of the state they were not since the necessary documentation had not been filled out and as a result he needed time to sort out the accommodation.

On hearing this, Ms Mahmud got angry, put the baby down and stormed out of the office, leaving the baby there. The child was then taken into care.

The incident took place on Wednesday and Ms Mahmud was arraigned yesterday. Aided by an interpreter, she said she understood the gravity of her action but was feeling very unhappy at that moment.

Every man and woman wanted to better themselves in life and that’s what she wanted to do, she said.

Magistrate Gabriella Vella told her “as right as you may be”, the fact was that the child was not to blame in this situation and that in Malta, abandoning a child usually resulted in a prison term.

Ms Mahmud apologised and said she would not do something like that again.

The magistrate took into consideration the special circumstances of the case and placed her under probation for one year. She also ordered the baby to be returned to her.

Legal aid lawyer Yana Micallef Stafrace appeared for Ms Mahmud.

Police Inspectors Melvyn Camilleri and James Grech prosecuted.