A FORMER Huddersfield woman has admitted secretly burying her stillborn baby boy in the grounds of a 17th century house.

Police launched a major investigation after the grim discovery of the child’s body wrapped in a bin-liner back in July 2006.

And yesterday senior officers were at Bradford Crown Court to see 46-year-old Angela Owen plead guilty to endeavouring to conceal the birth of the child and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.

The boy’s body was found during refurbishment work at The Howroyd, Krumlin Road, Barkisland – a luxury detached house standing in its own grounds.

Mrs Owen had rented the old servant’s quarters at Howroyd from January 2002 until May 2003.

It is thought that she had relatives in the area and also spent much of her childhood in Huddersfield.

Earlier this year police made a fresh appeal for information about Owen’s whereabouts.

An inquest heard that new DNA tests confirmed she was the mother of the baby and she was arrested following a national appeal on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme.

Owen, who had been living in Somerset, also pleaded yesterday to six fraud or dishonesty offences covering a period between 2002 and 2004.

She admitted using false identities to obtain a Lotus Elise car, credit facilities at the Co-op Bank, a liquor licence for a pub in Oldham and a passport.

In April 2003 she also left the then Pennine Manor Hotel in Scapegoat Hill, Huddersfield, without paying the bill for accommodation, food and telephone calls.

Prosecutor Christopher Tehrani told the court that Owen had put forward a basis of plea which effectively said she had been the victim of domestic violence at the hands of a former partner and the majority of her actions were as a result of his behaviour.

He indicated that based on inquiries undertaken so far the Crown did not accept that position.

Mr Tehrani said the prosecution wanted further time to investigate matters and Owen’s barrister Kirstie Watson requested all domestic violence reports in relation to her client and her former partner.

Miss Watson indicated that in the past two incidents were reported to the police after Owen had been hospitalised.

Judge Robert Bartfield agreed to an adjournment of the case until December 14 for further inquiries to be undertaken, but he also ordered a pre-sentence report on Owen.

Owen, who lives in Glastonbury, was granted bail with conditions which included an electronic tag and daily reporting at a local police station.