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| Mother charged for abandoning baby in drain in Sydney | Mother charged for abandoning baby in drain in Sydney |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Australian police have charged a 30-year-old woman with attempted murder after she abandoned her newborn baby in a drain in western Sydney. | Australian police have charged a 30-year-old woman with attempted murder after she abandoned her newborn baby in a drain in western Sydney. |
| They say the baby boy, who is in a serious but stable condition, may have survived up to five days in the drain. | They say the baby boy, who is in a serious but stable condition, may have survived up to five days in the drain. |
| He was discovered 2.5m (8ft) down inside the pit by a group of passing cyclists on Sunday morning. | |
| It took several people to lift the heavy concrete slab to rescue the baby, who was malnourished and dehydrated. | It took several people to lift the heavy concrete slab to rescue the baby, who was malnourished and dehydrated. |
| Police believe the baby was born last Monday and 24 hours later was squeezed through the narrow opening of a stormwater drain, falling 2.5 metres. | Police believe the baby was born last Monday and 24 hours later was squeezed through the narrow opening of a stormwater drain, falling 2.5 metres. |
| The baby is currently receiving treatment at Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital. | The baby is currently receiving treatment at Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital. |
| Hospital blanket | Hospital blanket |
| It is a distressing story of abandonment and an amazing story of survival, says the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney. | |
| Police doubt the baby would have survived much longer, given that in the past few days Sydney has had record breaking temperatures in excess of 40C, he adds. | |
| David Otte and his daughter were alerted to the baby's crying as they cycled near the M7 motorway at Quakers Hill on Sunday morning, according to local reports. | David Otte and his daughter were alerted to the baby's crying as they cycled near the M7 motorway at Quakers Hill on Sunday morning, according to local reports. |
| "It was so intense. You couldn't not tell it was a baby," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Mr Otte as saying. | "It was so intense. You couldn't not tell it was a baby," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Mr Otte as saying. |
| "We couldn't see it but we could hear it. It was distressed." | "We couldn't see it but we could hear it. It was distressed." |
| Police said they found the mother after checking hospital records and knocking on doors in the local area. | |
| Local police inspector David Lagats described the discovery of the baby as "disturbing". | Local police inspector David Lagats described the discovery of the baby as "disturbing". |
| He told reporters the baby was found wrapped in a striped blanket similar to what is given to newborn babies in hospital. | He told reporters the baby was found wrapped in a striped blanket similar to what is given to newborn babies in hospital. |
| "The umbilical cord had been cut and had been clamped so there appears to have been some sort of medical intervention since his birth," he added. | "The umbilical cord had been cut and had been clamped so there appears to have been some sort of medical intervention since his birth," he added. |
| The mother of the baby was represented legally in a Sydney court on Monday but did not appear in person, ABC reports. | |
| She has been formally denied bail and is expected to appear in court on Friday. |