The mother of a baby found dead in a freezer after she concealed her pregnancy has avoided jail time.

The now 35-year-old said the child was stillborn.

She wrapped the body up in her leggings before concealing the baby in a black garbage bag which she hid behind her couch.

Burton concealed her pregnancy from her long-term partner, Shaun Balaam, who was not the child’s biological father. She continued to lie about her condition, even when he accompanied her to the hospital and faced questions from medical staff.

Later, when Balaam popped home he found the bag, he thought he may have felt a head inside and hid the bag in a freezer on their veranda.

Burton, still in hospital, was unaware he did this at the time but later told police what happened.

This incident was not the first time Burton had hidden a pregnancy. To justify her pregnancy symptoms, such as a swollen belly, she falsely claimed to have liver problems.

She told police her memory of the events was “really fuzzy” and she disassociated.

Earlier this week, Burton pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a corpse to prevent or prejudice an investigation.

During a sentencing hearing in the District Court on Friday, Judge Darren Renton remarked that determining the cause of Baby Burton’s death was not possible because the baby had been placed in the freezer, though it was likely a stillbirth.

“You said there was no noise from the baby and he looked like a doll,” he noted.

The judge handed Burton a suspended jail sentence of 19 months, stating that her intent in hiding the pregnancy was to avoid the fallout that would come if the truth were revealed.

“Your actions showed a lack of respect for Baby Burton, and the community would rightly find them objectionable,” said Judge Renton.

He said she had expressed significant remorse and had a low risk of reoffending.

Additionally, Burton faced fraud charges tied to a GoFundMe campaign initiated by another person, aimed at covering costs related to her fake liver condition. Although she did not start the fundraiser, the judge pointed out that she passively received more than $3000 from it.

Balaam pleaded guilty to a similar crime and was previously handed an 18 month community corrections order.