A woman has been sentenced to intensive supervision and community work for kidnapping a newborn baby from a Christchurch hospital.
Rachael Marie French pleaded guilty to taking a two-day-old baby from his mother at St George's hospital in December last year.
She told the mother she was a trainee midwife, taking the boy to get blood tests.
The 21-year-old was intercepted by a nurse shortly after leaving the room and the baby was returned to his mother.
Judge Raoul Neave told Christchurch District Court he believed French to be a very disturbed young woman living in a fantasy land.
The judge lifted name suppression on Friday, saying French needs to face up to the consequences of her actions.
French will spend 18 months under intensive supervision and complete 250 hours of community work.
