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Bernadette Quirk, 55, arrives at Liverpool Crown Court today. John Fahey/PA Wire/Press Association Images
UK
Woman admits giving birth to stillborn babies, then hiding bodies
Grandmother pleads guilty to concealing births.
A WOMAN HAS PLEADED guilty to hiding the births of her four stillborn children at Liverpool Crown Court today.
Bernadette Quirk, 55, gave birth to the babies in the 80s, and hid the bodies in her home and a grave at a local cemetery, BBC reports.
Her daughter Joanne Lee discovered the remains of three of the babies hidden in a wardrobe in Quirk’s home and contacted police.
Lee had already known about the baby buried in the cemetery, but said she had no idea about the other three births.
The court heard that the children were born at a difficult time in Quirk’s life, when she was drinking heavily. Her defence lawyer said his client wanted to make clear that “as supported by medical evidence, the children were stillborn when she gave birth to them”.
He said that at the time of her arrest she was being treated for depression and was on the brink of being evicted.
She is due to be sentenced on 11 October, and may go to prison.
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