Johannesburg - A Pretoria couple were handed an effective 14-year prison sentence for beating their six-month-old daughter and leaving the infant with broken ribs, collar bones, and legs.
In April 2020, when she was five weeks old at the time, the baby girl, referred to as "Baby N," was admitted to a Pretoria hospital with injuries that were consistent with child abuse.
According to AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, her doctors and a private social worker then filed a complaint with the police and the Department of Social Development, and the allegations included that the baby’s ribs were fractured in 15 places.
The matter was investigated, and the child was placed in foster care, but the case was closed for lack of evidence, and Baby N was returned to the care of her parents.
"Barely three months later, on July 1, 2020, Baby N was admitted again with pneumonia, shock, and dehydration. She also weighed far less than what is normal for an infant of her age and was ravenously hungry," the unit said in a statement.
"Further tests indicated that her collarbone had fractured two to three weeks before she was admitted. An MRI scan showed injuries that were most probably caused by the baby being violently shaken. Both of her femurs were broken, and the signs of several fractured ribs were still visible."
The doctors who examined her then approached the Private Prosecution Unit, whose investigators took statements from all the concerned parties and compiled the docket, which was presented to the police when the second case against the parents was opened. The police subsequently arrested the couple, and the prosecution ensued.
The evidence presented in court revealed that Baby N had sustained a total of 31 bone fractures between March 2020 and July 2020.
The mother and father denied the allegations but were found guilty of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and child neglect. The sentence was imposed on February 20 in the Pretoria High Court.
The unit said that in his judgment, Judge Hennie de Vos reflected on the injuries inflicted on the baby.
"The offences committed are so serious that a harsh sentence should be imposed. In my view, direct imprisonment is unavoidable. Baby N was defenceless and unable to protect herself. She depended on the love, affection, and protection of her parents. Instead of that, her ribs were fractured, the femur was fractured, and she sustained a bruise on her chin and prevertebral soft tissue swelling of her neck. She was grossly underfed," he said.
The unit’s spokesperson, Barry Bateman, praised the doctors and social workers who refused to allow the child to suffer.
"Without the intervention of the doctors and other professionals, this baby might have died at the hands of her parents. Child abuse and neglect are among the many scourges facing the most vulnerable in society. We need medical professionals and caregivers who encounter such instances to take a stand, as is required of them by law," Bateman said.
"We compliment the prosecutor for her professional and competent prosecution. The same cannot be said for the SAPS. Without the intervention and pressure from the Private Prosecution Unit, the matter would likely have been closed like the previous case. The public is continually told how the government takes violence against women and children seriously, yet we do not see this filtering through to the police on the ground."
The Star