Doctors who had twice examined a badly beaten up six-month-old girl in Pretoria and concluded that she was a victim of repeated abuse, sought private prosecution of her parents after the state dropped charges against the couple because of a "lack of evidence", writes MedicalBrief.
The couple has now been sentenced to 14 years behind bars for the assault of their daughter, leaving her with broken ribs, a broken collar bone and a broken leg. The doctors were assisted by AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit.
The mother (22) and father (24) had denied all allegations against them in court, but were convicted of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and child neglect. Charges against them were filed on 24 July 2020, and they were sentenced last week, reports IOL.
As reported in MedicalBrief at the time, Pretoria paediatrician Dr Julian Smith told the Gauteng High Court that the amount of force used on the baby’s body must have been “very high”, and that her ribs had been fractured in 15 places.
The doctors and a private social worker had first filed a complaint with police and the Department of Social Development when the then five-week-old infant was admitted to a hospital in Pretoria in April 2020 with injuries consistent with child abuse.
While SAPS initially investigated the matter and the baby was put into a place of safety, police told doctors the case was closed due to “lack of evidence” and she was placed back into the care of her parents.
Three months later, on 1 July 2020, she was again admitted to hospital, this time suffering from pneumonia, shock and dehydration.
She was grossly underweight for her age and described as “ravenously hungry”.
Further tests by doctors showed her collarbone had been fractured two to three weeks before her admission to hospital, while an MRI scan detected injuries that had probably been caused by the child being violently shaken.
Both of her femurs were broken, and several fractured ribs were still visible.
The doctors who examined her were unanimous in their decision that her injuries were from repeated abuse, and approached AfriForum’s private prosecution unit.
The investigators took comprehensive statements and compiled a docket that was presented to police.
A second case was then opened against the child’s parents, who were arrested and the matter was taken to court.
Evidence revealed the baby had 31 bone fractures between March 2020 and July 2020.
“The offences committed are so serious that a harsh sentence should be imposed… direct imprisonment is unavoidable.
“She was defenceless … 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 pre-vertebral soft tissue swelling of her neck. She was grossly underfed,” Judge Hennie de Vos said during his judgment.
Barry Bateman, a spokesperson for the private prosecutionunit, lauded doctors and social workers who acted when they saw the baby’s suffering, but slammed the SAPS, reports The Citizen.
“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. We compliment the prosecutor for her professional and competent prosecution
“The same cannot be said for the SAPS…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,” he said.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Pretoria paediatrician had ‘never seen so many broken bones’ in an infant
Serum test to identify abusive head trauma in infants
Impact of physical abuse and punishment on kids