A Thirty-eight-year-old mother and 46-year-old father have been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for the abuse of their five children.
On Wednesday, the North West High Court sitting in Klerksdorp convicted the duo to two counts of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH), assault, child negligence and culpable homicide.
The two were sentenced following their arrest in May and October 2021 for the mistreatment of their five children in Alabama, near Klerksdorp.
North West police reported that the mother was attacking and abusing her children, who ranged in age from 3 weeks to 13-years-old, by punching them, pushing them against a wall and denying them food.
On May 14, 2021, the father called the police to report an assault. Police responded immediately, and the mother was arrested but later freed on a warning after it was determined that she was breast-feeding the 3-week-old infant.
In September 2021, two counts of assault GBH were filed against the mother after she severely abused her two daughters, aged 8 and 13 at the time. She was later rearrested.
The police also found out the three-week-old baby died of hunger, and a culpable homicide docket was registered.
The father was arrested in October 2021 after it was discovered that he was also abusing the two young boys, aged 2 and 5. He was also charged with culpable homicide.
The two were sentenced as follows:
Accused No. 1. (Mother):
Count 1: Assault GBH, 8 years’ imprisonment
Count 2: Assault GBH, 8 years
Count 3: Assault, 4 years
Count 11: Child neglect, 10 years
Count 14: Culpable homicide, 15 years
Accused No. 2. (Father):
Count 11: Child neglect, 10 years
Count 14: Culpable homicide, 15 years
The accused will both serve an effective 15 years in prison.
In a different case, a 38-year-old mother was found guilty of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and given a five-year prison sentence.
The accused, who got into a fight with her 3-year-old son’s father over the child’s maintenance, pinched and tugged on her son’s privates. While carrying out the act, she recorded it on camera and sent it to the child’s father.
In the footage, the youngster could be seen sobbing and shouting. After the mother, who is a Lesotho national, turned herself in to the police in August 2023, her father took the video to them. She has been held in custody since her arrest. and was sentenced on February 21.
The Star