Teenager concealed pregnancy from her family and hid baby girl’s dead body in a shoebox under her bed for SIX DAYS - then lied that she'd been raped when her mother noticed the smell

A teenager concealed her pregnancy from her family and hid her baby girl’s body in a shoe box for six days, an inquest heard.

Ayesha Tariq, now 23, broke down in tears as she refused to answer 36 questions about the circumstances of the birth, which took place alone in her bedroom in the early hours of February 27 2013.

Bradford Coroners Court heard Miss Tariq, who claimed the baby was stillborn, put her body in a box and then put her own soiled clothing in a bin bag also under a single bed in her room.

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Bradford Coroners Court (pictured) heard how Miss Tariq claimed the baby was stillborn and placed the body in a box

Miss Tariq sat a mock exam the following day, but two days later, on March 2, her mother complained of a smell in her room and she broke down and revealed what had happened.

The then 19-year-old told her mother, Tasleem Akhtar, the pregnancy had been a result of being raped by two men in an alleyway after she left a youth club.

Her mother put the bin bags and the shoe box in the boot of her car and unsuccessfully attempted to get an emergency doctor’s appointment.

On March 5 2013, six days after the birth, the body was taken to Airedale General Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire, where Miss Tariq told doctors the baby had been stillborn.

Initially Miss Tariq gave police a detailed account of how she had been raped.

After a short break she revealed her story was false and she had instead been in a consensual but secretive sexual relationship.

Police arrested Tariq on suspicion of infanticide, attempting to pervert the course of justice in an allegation of false rape and for preventing the baby’s burial.

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Dr Kirsten Hope, pictured, told the inquest there was no indication the baby died in utero

Her mother was also arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and burial offences.

Miss Tariq and her mother were released on police bail and the CPS are not intending to take further action.

Giving live evidence to the court from behind a screen, Miss Tariq said she felt 'scared and ashamed' about the pregnancy.

She said she had booked a doctor’s appointment to discuss the pregnancy but did not go through with it and the court heard Miss Tariq wore baggy clothing and her mother did not realise she was pregnant.

Miss Tariq told the court she had not felt any movement from the baby since November 2012.

She added: 'Everyday I wanted to ask someone for help, I don’t know what stopped me.'

When asked by coroner Martin Fleming about specific details of the birth, Miss Tariq refused to answer under her right to not give evidence which may incriminate her.

When asked if she had told her boyfriend she was going to 'get rid' of the baby, Miss Tariq also made no comment.

Miss Tariq’s mother also gave evidence to the court from behind a screen.

Six days after the birth, the baby's body was taken to Airedale General Hospital (pictured) in Keighley, West Yorkshire

The coroner asked her why Miss Tariq would not have informed her of a sexual relationship.

She replied: 'Because it is not what we do. It is not culturally acceptable.'  

Mr Fleming's questions included whether she felt concern for the new-born baby and why she placed the body in the box.

He also asked her: 'Did you make any attempt to muffle the cries of the baby?'

To each of these she said she did not want want to answer. 

Mrs Akhtar refused to answer ten questions put to her by the coroner, who questioned her decision to put the shoe box in the boot of the car on 2 March and not immediately involve police or the authorities prior to taking the box to the hospital.

The court heard from Dr Kirsten Hope and Dr Jens Stahlschmidt who carried out a post-mortem on the baby.

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Giving evidence today, Dr Hope said there was no physical evidence of asphyxiation 

They concluded a cause of death could not be ascertained and could not establish whether the baby had taken a breath on the balance of probabilities.

Dr Hope said: 'There was no indication the baby had died in utero.

'The pathology could not indicate if the baby had taken a breath before it was expelled from its mother.'

She added no injuries or bruising had been found on the body of the baby, nor any physical evidence of asphyxiation.

Dr Stahlschmidt said: 'It is extremely unusual to come across babies like this in my practice. It was not a pre-term baby.  

When he was asked multiple times if he could say whether it was more likely or not the baby was stillborn or had taken an independent breath, Dr Stahlschmidt said: 'It's impossible to say without having a witness who saw the baby moving or crying. 

'It's directly on the cusp. I can't really say. I can't be certain.'

The doctor told the hearing there were no signs of disease or congenital defects on the body but could not give a conclusion on whether the baby had taken a breath.

Dr Gary Savill, a pediatrician from Airedale General Hospital, said Miss Tariq had told doctors at the hospital the baby had been stillborn.

Offering a narrative verdict, coroner Martin Fleming said: 'There is insufficient evidence on the balance of probabilities to determine whether baby Tariq as born alive or stillborn.'

The coroner concluded the inquest by offering his condolences to the family and appreciation to the witnesses called in the case.

DAILY MAIL