13/09/2010

Grandmother Pleads Guilty To Concealing Births

A Liverpool grandmother has pleaded guilty to concealing the stillbirths of four of her children.

Bernadette Quirk, 55, formerly of Harlow Close, St Helens, Merseyside, was arrested and charged in August last year, following the discovery of the bodies of three newborn babies at her home.

The bodies of the childen, two of whom were twins, were found in a plastic bin by Quirk's daughter.

The body of the fourth child was found in a shallow grave in a local cemetery.

The children, who were all girls, are all believed to have been born between 1985 and 1995.

An inquest which was held last year said that that the births and deaths of the babies had never been registered and the children never named.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how the children had all been born during a difficult time in Quirk's life when she had been a heavy drinker.

When she was arrested, she was being treated for depression and was facing eviction from her home.

Quirk, who now lives in Wigan, Greater Manchester, has been released on conditional bail until October 11, when she will be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court.

(KMcA)

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