Mother accused of killing her new-born baby faints in the dock

The British mother accused of killing her new-born baby during a holiday in Crete collapsed in court yesterday after being told she would be remanded in custody.

Leah Andrew, 20, was taken from the courtroom in the capital of Heraklion back to hospital where she has been treated for blood loss since she was arrested on Monday night.

Her lawyer Zoe Lama said: 'The judge ordered that she be held pending completion of the trial. She then fainted and was taken to hospital for treatment. We will decide on our further course of action once she is discharged.'

It could be a year before the case comes to court. Police sources say Andrew is likely to be behind bars in Crete's Neapoli jail for all that time and will share a cramped cell with up to four other inmates.

Andrew, from Hither Green, South East London, was charged with strangling her 5lb 8oz baby after she was discovered in her hotel bedroom holding the corpse. She has two other children at home aged two and one. If convicted of infanticide, she could be jailed for up to 20 years.

Yesterday she was joined by her father Isaac, 54, who said: 'What they are accusing her of doing, my daughter didn't do. She is a good mother.'

Leah Andrew, from Hither Green, south east London, appeared before a magistrate in Heraklion, the island's capital, charged with infanticide.

The Crete prosecutor's office said the magistrate would decide later today whether she would be held in prison or released on bail before her eventual trial.

Police found the dead baby, weighing 5lb 8oz, in a room in the Natali hotel, Malia, in the early hours of Monday morning.

A coroner said the baby, which was discovered wrapped in sheets, showed signs of suffocation.

Andrew was taken by police from Iraklion University Hospital to give evidence at today's hearing.

She was being kept under police guard at the hospital, where she was taken after suffering extensive bleeding.

Andrew leaves a hospital at Heraklio town on the island of Crete with police

Police denied she was put on suicide watch and said she was being guarded by two officers simply because she was under arrest.

On Sunday, Andrew was on a night out with her 24-year-old sister, Lydia, and a friend.

It is understood she had not told them she was pregnant, despite being just two weeks short of her due date.

She returned to the hotel at around 3.30am, where she gave birth alone.

Police said that when the sister and friend arrived at the room they saw a sheet with something inside.

They did not open it but called the police.

It is believed Andrew has two sons, aged three and 15 months, who are being looked after by her parents.

A Lewisham council spokeswoman said: "This is a very tragic situation and our thoughts are with the family.

'We will be supporting the family and working with them to ensure the safety and well-being of Miss Andrew's two other children.'

In Greece, infanticide does not carry a life sentence, unlike murder which does