Woman convicted of infanticide sentenced to five years in jail

VANCOUVER – A Vancouver woman convicted of killing her two newborn sons has been sentenced to five years in prison.

A jury convicted Sarah Leung in April of two counts of infanticide for the deaths of her boys in April 2009 and March 2010.

READ MORE: ‘I’m ashamed for the deaths of my 2 baby boys’: Mother convicted of infanticide

Leung’s trial heard she gave birth twice in the bathroom of her family’s home and secretly disposed of the infants each time because she feared she would be disowned by her parents.

B.C. Supreme Court heard Leung’s father found the first baby dead in a plastic bag outside the home and called police, but the body of the second baby was never found.

Judge Mary Humphries says Leung’s actions were “horrific, sad and incomprehensible,” though she also notes the conviction of infanticide means the jury believed she had a “disturbed” mind at the time of the crimes.

“I believe the sentence is consistent with the nature of the offences,” Leung’s lawyer Richard Fowler said.

Regarding Leung’s level of remorse, Fowler said, “one of the principle concerns here is rehabilitation and hopefully she’ll get some help understanding herself; understanding how she deals with life and pregnancy and hopefully gets a great deal of assistance.”

Humphries has also ordered Leung to report any pregnancies in the next 20 years to provincial authorities.

~ with files from Paula Baker