Monique Ellen Burton: Geraldton mother pleads guilty to interfering with newborn baby’s corpse

A Geraldton woman has pleaded guilty to her involvement in interfering with her newborn baby’s corpse, which was placed in a backyard freezer after the child was stillborn. Monique Ellen Burton, 34, faced Geraldton Magistrates Court on Thursday on 12 charges relating to fraud, and one of interfering with a corpse with intent to prevent or prejudice an investigation into circumstances surrounding death. Detectives had previously alleged they found the baby’s corpse at a Spalding home, after receiving a hospital report. Police said Burton had previously gone to hospital in 2022, showing signs she had given birth, but denied the claims. According to police, there was no evidence the baby had been killed, and they believe it was born dead in August 2022. Detectives alleged she placed the child in a plastic bag, before her partner placed it in the freezer. Police said Burton was flown by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Perth for urgent treatment after allegedly concealing the birth. In a brief court appearance on Thursday, Burton pleaded guilty to the interfering with a corpse charge. Burton will face sentencing on March 12, 2025. The other matters involve alleged fraud offences for which police say she accepted donations after lying about suffering a terminal illness. Police allege a friend set up an online fundraiser for Burton, which said she only had five years to live. She did not enter pleas to the fraud charges. Meanwhile, Burton’s partner Shaun Bradley Balaam pleaded guilty to one count of without lawful excuse improperly interfered with a corpse in August. He was due to face Geraldton Magistrates Court on Friday for sentencing. Burton had previously given birth to her son Kaiden, who succumbed to illness in 2019 at 15 months of age. In 2021, The Midwest Times reported she had her wallet stolen from her car, as well as a painted rock which was a memento of her child. It was reported she was due to give birth to her next child, referred to as a rainbow baby — a baby born after a previous loss. The GoFundMe page a friend had set up over Burton’s allegedly fake terminal diagnosis said that Kaiden’s arrival in 2018 was a complete surprise. “She didn’t know she was pregnant until the moment she delivered her darling boy,” the friend wrote.