An Ottawa woman who suffocated her newborn son won't have to serve time in prison.
Rather, Angela Kuehl, 27, was handed a sentence of 18 months house arrest and 200 hours of community service on Wednesday. Kuehl must also donate $1,000 to the Children's Wish Foundation.
Kuehl pleaded guilty in February to infanticide - a Criminal Code charge applied to mothers who kill their newborns while under severe emotional distress.
In court, she admitted to suffocating her baby with a plastic bag and throwing his body in a garbage can after giving birth at her home in Kanata in April 2007. Kuehl had hidden the pregnancy from her family, friends, and boyfriend.
The judge ruled Kuehl's actions stemmed from denial of her pregnancy and the shock of unexpected labour.
Although Crown and defence lawyers agreed on a one-year house arrest when they met in April, the judge delayed sentencing because she wanted more time to study the facts.
Kuehl was charged in October 2007 after a five-month investigation into her son's death.
Police were alerted to the situation after Kuehl went to the Ottawa Hospital, suffering from child birth complications. At the time, officials could not find the baby's body.
