KINGSTON, Jamaica — The medical assistant accused of snatching a day-old baby from the University Hospital of the West Indies in St Andrew last year was sentenced a short while ago to three years probation with psychiatric counselling.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Martin Gayle said 47-year-old Lorna Williamson needs treatment. The woman’s attorney had earlier requested a non-custodial sentence.

Williamson was charged with child stealing last year after the baby was found in her possession in Rollington Town on the same day the baby disappeared.

The baby girl was taken from a cot that was adjacent to her mother’s bed on Ward 11 at the hospital.

Williamson pleaded guilty to child stealing under the sentence reduction initiative in October.

The Sentence Reduction Day initiative provides the platform for individuals to enter a guilty plea and benefit from a maximum 50 per cent reduction in their sentence, according to the provisions of the Criminal Justice Administration Amendment Act 2015.

The programme, which had its first installment on May 22, is being implemented by the Criminal Case Management Steering Committee, which has as its mandate the implementation of policies and strategies that are geared towards the administration of justice in a timely manner in all the courts.

Racquel Porter