M’sian Student in UK Convicted for Hiding Newborn Baby in Cereal Box

A 22-year-old Malaysian student, Jia Xin Teo, was convicted of murder in the UK after her newborn was found concealed inside a cereal box in a suitcase.

Teo, a student at Coventry University, hid her pregnancy and gave birth alone on 4 March, 2024. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), she placed the baby in a cereal box, and then inside a sealed plastic bag before hiding it in a suitcase in her Coventry flat.

Delayed Discovery

Two days after the birth, West Midlands Police were called to an address on Raglan Street after concerns were raised about a child, following Teo’s arrival at the hospital showing signs of recently having delivered a baby.

When questioned by medical staff, she initially denied giving birth. It was only under police questioning that she admitted to having given birth and revealed the baby’s location.

According to the CPS, the newborn was alive at birth and could have survived with immediate care.

Court Rejects Mental Health Defense

Teo claimed during the trial that she had heard voices telling her to harm the baby, but the jury at Warwick Crown Court did not accept this defense.

Jia Xin Teo. Photo in courtesy of West Midlands Police

The court found that she deliberately hid her pregnancy and the birth, fully aware that it would result in the child’s death.

“She had opportunities to seek help,” said James Leslie Francis from the CPS, “but chose to keep the pregnancy secret and to lie to concerned friends, doctors, and police.”

On October 25, 2024, she received a life sentence with a minimum term of 17 years to be served.