South Africa National Police Commissioner General, Khehla Sitole says he welcomes the Conviction and sentencing of a 29-year-old mother in connection with the rape of her two-month-old baby.
In November last year, a doctor at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto informed the police in Meadowlands, Soweto, that a severely injured two month old baby had been admitted to the hospital.
Sergeant Enez Lekgoathi of the Orlando Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) was tasked with the investigation.
During the initial interview, the Meadowlands mother claimed that the child had fallen from the bed.
However, medical test results revealed that the baby had been raped. The mother was arrested and charged in terms of Section 55 of the Child Protection Act (aiding and abetting), child abuse and defeating the ends of justice.
She was detained since November 2017 after being denied bail. One of the reasons for her bail being denied was that during interviews with her, her version of what had happened to the baby continually changed.
The case was heard in the South Gauteng High Court since 6 November 2017.
The prosecutor in the matter, Senior State Advocate Alivera Du Plooy and Sergeant Lekgoathi worked together on the case and eventually achieved justice for the baby girl.
The mother, who was convicted late last year, was Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment, despite the actual perpetrator not being identified yet.
This, according to the police, set a precedent which will help prevent any person from shielding perpetrators of crime in future.
Commissioner Sitole praised both Sergeant Lekgoathi and Advocate Du Plooy for their hard work and dedication in the matter.
“Protecting the innocent and vulnerable is what we seek to ensure on a daily basis and both Sergeant Lekgoathi and Advocate Du Plooy have excelled in this regard,” said Commissioner Sitole.
“This may be little justice for the two-month-old baby but the outcome of this case will surely serve to deter such criminality from taking place again,” Sitole said.
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