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SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, August 7, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A judge has delayed the sentencing of a teen mother who put her newborn baby in a trash can that was taken to the garbage dump so the defendant can undergo a psychiatric assessment.

The woman — who entered a guilty plea to neglecting to obtain assistance in childbirth and concealing the body of a child — was scheduled to be sentenced in Saskatoon youth court yesterday, but the hearing was postponed until October 3.

The young mother was 17 in October 2010, when police received information that the teen had given birth at home and put the baby in a trash bin, which was picked up by a garbage crew and taken to the city's landfill.

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Police did not know the baby’s condition at the time of birth.

The Saskatoon landfill was searched by police with dogs for more than a week but the child's body, believed to be a girl, was never found.

“As you can appreciate…the case took place some time ago, so we all want to be sure that my client, if she has any ongoing psychiatric or psychological issues, that they're properly addressed when it comes time for sentencing,” defence lawyer Leslie Sullivan said, according to a Saskatoon StarPhoenix report.

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He noted at the court hearing in May that in pleading guilty to the charges the young mother, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, “is taking responsibility at the outset” for her actions.