British soldier’s wife and mum-of-five found guilty of murdering her newborn son and dumping his body in woods
THE wife of a British soldier will be jailed for life after she was today convicted of murdering her newborn and dumping his body in a wood.
Silipa Keresi, who has four other children, had requested a termination months before tiny Maliki arrived - but was told it was too late.
Keresi, 38, later told social workers she'd been in "hell" after her husband Dharma left the forces in 2017, a court heard.
The family had been living in a small hotel room and surviving on contributions from a food bank after they were made homeless.
It's also alleged Keresi was the victim of domestic violence.
Prosecutors said that while she'd tried to be a good mother, she'd "snapped" when Maliki was born.
The Fijian national had denied charges of infanticide and murder but was today found guilty by a unanimous jury.
The judge, Mr Justice Garnham, told the defendant: "There is only one sentence available to the court which is life imprisonment."
Winchester Crown Court heard baby Maliki was first found by a dog walker in the secluded woodlands near Hythe in Hampshire's New Forest.
HORROR DISCOVERY
The walker initially believed the baby's body was an animal, but then spotted a towel wrapped in blood.
Kerry Maylin QC, prosecuting, said the man called police and told them he'd felt the baby's cheek, but it was cold and there was no reaction.
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The little one had been "carefully" wrapped in the towel. His umbilical cord was still attached.
A post-mortem showed that the newborn had breathed following birth and would have suffered from hypothermia, the court heard.
The autopsy found he had abnormalities or injuries and the cause of death was given as "omission of care".
Jurors heard midwives and GPs had repeatedly tried to contact Keresi during her pregnancy after she first asked for an abortion.
"She had thought she was about 12 weeks pregnant, but results indicated she was 26 weeks and five days pregnant - over the gestation date limit for a lawful termination," Ms Maylin said.
'UNDER PRESSURE'
The defendant "became shocked and visibly uncomfortable" when she heard she couldn't terminate the pregnancy, and attempted to leave.
Following her arrest, she was interviewed by a social worker and admitted she'd been under "pressure".
During the conversation, the "distressed" mum wept and admitted she was concerned about her immigration status, it was heard.
And she told the court: "I felt my life was just chaos."
Ms Maylin said Keresi had "tried to keep things good for her family", but was in a "bad situation".
"She had also filled out an incorrect immigration form, and in order for her to remain in the UK, she had to pay a fine she couldn't afford," the prosecutor said.
"She said she tried to be a good mother but snapped. When asked what she meant she said, 'God understands'."
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Detectives later found footage of Keresi leaving her home in the early hours of the morning around 32 hours before Maliki's body was found.
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She was spotted carrying a "white item over her shoulder" at 4.51am before returning without the item 20 minutes later.
Keresi will be sentenced on Thursday.
