A 39-year-old woman in Machinga has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for abandoning her own twins after giving birth.

The convict has only been identified as Tiyesi comes from Jusu Village, in the area of Traditional Authority Nkula in Machinga district.

The court heard through police prosecutor Anthony Mchiswe that the convict had given birth to premature twin baby girls on October 28 last.

She got admitted at Machinga District Hospital for about four weeks. But after she was discharged from the hospital, Tiyesi went to her home village where she abandoned the newly born twins and went in hiding at a Rest House in Zomba district.

Her father reported the matter to police who launched an investigation that later led to the arrest of the woman in Zomba.

The twins were at that time referred to the social welfare.

Tiyesi was arraigned before Machinga Third Grade Magistrate court where she was answering an offence of deserting her children to which she pleaded guilty.

In his say, the prosecutor asked the court to hand the woman a sentence that would act like deter to other would be offenders.

When passing his judgment, Third Grade Magistrate Isaac Kamanga slapped the woman with a 30-months-jail sentence with hard labor.