An estranged husband and wife are to be released from custody in Queensland after admitting their part in the death and concealment of their newborn daughter.
Sursaree Surmilla Chand, 39, who gave birth alone at her northern Brisbane home, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for failing to care for her vulnerable child, whose body was found under towels inside a washing machine.
She was sentenced to five years in prison which will be suspended from Monday, allowing her to be released after three years on remand.
Ronal Chand, who pleaded guilty to being an accessory to manslaughter, was found to have hidden the baby girl in the washing machine in January 2012.
He was sentenced to three years jail suspended after nine months, which has already been served.
Justice Ann Lyons said that "concerningly" Mr Chand had told his wife he did not want a daughter but would consider having a son.
"That must have been noted by your wife and put pressure on her," the judge said.
She accepted that Mrs Chand was suffering from mental health problems including depression and anxiety at the time of the birth and has since been diagnosed with a personality disorder and amnesia.
The case had been briefly halted on Friday morning after Mrs Chand collapsed and suffered a fit while in the dock.
She was later sentenced via video link.
The court heard that after hiding her pregnancy from family and friends, Mrs Chand gave birth alone on her garage floor before severing the umbilical cord.
Prosecutor Todd Fuller QC said her inaction to care for the child or contact medical help led to the baby girl's death, which was caused by hypothermia and asphyxia.
Mr Chand had returned home from a shopping trip to find his wife lying on a blanket and covered in blood.
After a number of discarded emergency calls he rang for an ambulance, and medical staff determined she had given birth to a full term baby despite claims she was not pregnant.
Emergency services later discovered the newborn under some towels in a bloody washing machine.
Sentencing Mr Chand, Justice Lyons said: "Your culpability is on the basis that you were aware of the death of your daughter as a result of your wife's failure to take necessary care of her.
"Given the state of your wife and her blood loss I consider it is likely that you were responsible for placing the child in the washing machine or that you assisted your wife to do so.
"It's clear you took positive steps to conceal the birth, including cleaning up and misleading police."
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