An Indo-Fijian woman, facing charges of abduction, is due to appear at the Manukau District Court later this month.
Twenty four-year-old Neha Narayan, who made a brief appearance at the Court following the incident, has been remanded on bail.
She is accused of having attempted to abduct a newborn baby from Middlemore Hospital on January 4. She has also been accused of feigning pregnancy.
Her lawyer Heeni Philips told the media that Mrs Narayan was suffering because of traumatic experience.
“We will be looking for psychiatric or psychological help,” he said.
According to Counties Manukau Police Communications Manager Ana-Mari Gates-Bowey, Mrs Narayan visited the Middlemore hospital and that a member of the staff handed over a newly born baby thinking that she was the mother.
“She carried the baby to a parked car but was stopped after the baby’s parents saw the woman leaving. She had falsely claimed to be pregnant for nine months before telling her partner she was overdue and needed to be taken to hospital to be induced.
“The partner dropped her at 11 am and she allegedly then spent several hours moving through the birthing unit attempting to uplift a child. She then called her partner saying she was ready to be picked up,” Ms Gates-Bowey said.
It is understood that the accused was involved in a similar attempt earlier on the same day; she was holding a two-day-old baby and was cited by the newborn’s mother.
