A mother whose nine-month-old baby drowned in a bath in Cospicua in August 2012 has been handed a suspended sentence, with a magistrate noting that although she had caused the death through negligence, losing her baby was the greatest punishment a mum could get.

The mother, who was just 17 years old at the time, was chatting on Facebook in the bedroom while her baby was bathing. The baby drowned in the bath. An autopsy confirmed that the baby's heart stopped beating because of the amount of water she had swallowed.

The mother's name cannot be mentioned as the court ordered a ban on its publication because she was a minor when the accident took place. The entire court case was heard behind closed doors.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit found the mother guilty of causing her daughter's death through negligence. She jailed her for two years suspended for three years, as well as a three-year supervision order to receive help to address her problems.

The baby, Roselana, died on August 31, 2012. Facebook chats were presented in court to prove that the mother was chatting to a friend while her baby was drowning in the bathroom.

The court heard how the bath was filled to the very top with water. In the bedroom, the police found a computer with a Facebook chat open. There was a constant conversation between 3.29pm and 4.23pm, at the time that the child was having a bath.

In her considerations, Magistrate Stafrace Zammit said that the young mother, who was bringing up her daughter on her own, was doing her best to give her daughter a good upbringing.

However, this was not enough to avoid the incident in question, and had shown sheer negligence when she left her nine-month-old alone in a bath.

Notwithstanding this, the court also took into consideration that she was just 17 years old at the time and also had a difficult upbringing, having lived for most of her life in homes.

Having considered the circumstances of the case and the fact that the mother had already faced the most severe punishment of losing her baby, the magistrate handed her a suspended sentence.

Police Inspector Robert Said Sarreo prosecuted while lawyers Michael and Lucio Sciriha represented the woman.