A Melbourne woman has pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless conduct endangering life after a newborn infant was found with life-threatening injuries outside a Dandenong North home in late August 2024.
Irine Jerotich, 26, entered the plea at a brief hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday. Court documents and police briefings allege the infant was placed in a plastic bag and thrown out of a bathroom window onto concrete, with the offence occurring between the night of Aug. 29 and the early hours of Aug. 30, 2024. The baby was located outside the house about 2:40 a.m. on Aug. 30 and was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Jerotich, who was on bail at the time of the hearing, indicated to Magistrate Leon Fluxman that she was pleading guilty to the single count; she was not required to make a statement. No further details of the incident or allegations were aired in the magistrates' court on Monday. A separate charge that had alleged reckless conduct endangering injury to an infant was discontinued.
Her bail was extended ahead of a pre-sentence hearing scheduled in the County Court of Victoria in February. While on bail, Jerotich is subject to conditions that include remaining in Victoria and residing at her registered home address.
The matter will move to the County Court, which handles sentencing for more serious offences in Victoria. A pre-sentence hearing typically allows the court to consider reports and submissions prior to a sentencing hearing.
Police and court documents place the timing of the offence between Aug. 29 and Aug. 30, 2024, and identify the location as a home in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong North. The infant was discovered at 2:40 a.m. on Aug. 30 and hospitalised with injuries described by authorities as life threatening.
Jerotich appeared in the Melbourne magistrates' court in casual attire and with a long braided ponytail. The brief proceeding did not include contested evidence; the next scheduled court step is the County Court pre-sentence hearing in February.
No additional information about the infant's current medical condition or the broader investigation was released in court. Police statements and court filings provide the principal public account of the incident to date.