Johannesburg - The mother accused of viciously abusing her infant child, Baby Christina*, appears to have turned on her co-accused former boyfriend in an apparent attempt to avoid prosecution herself.
June* and Theuns*, who cannot be identified to protect the child, were charged with trying to shake the life out of Christina, hanging her out of a window of their apartment, smothering her with a pillow and nearly drowning her in a bath of water.
The alleged abuse resulted in broken legs, ribs and a fracture in her skull, leaving her with vision problems (septo-optic dysplasia) from which she may never recover.
The parents appeared in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where it was understood that their trial was set to start, but the case was transferred to another court in the area because of a court scheduling problem.
The Star has learnt from a source close to the investigation that the next appearance at the new court will involve a pre-trial conference to determine if June’s application to turn State witness will be considered by the prosecution.
Christina was taken from her parents last year after a telephonic complaint led to the first visit from a team of social workers.
In the social workers’ report, they said June had claimed that her then boyfriend, Theuns, had been abusing the child and her. However, in November last year, June applied to the High Court in Pretoria to regain custody of Christina, and in her own statement claimed the social workers were lying about what she had said.
Since then, it seems as though the State believes that June was the dominant aggressor against Christina, as the charges against the mother were strengthened in recent months.
The Star also learnt on Tuesday that both parents have hired Elmarie Pretorius, a private investigator.
Pretorius said she could say only that she had been hired in her private capacity to investigate the circumstances around Christina’s abuse, but it’s still unclear if this means the parents believe someone else was responsible for the injuries to their child.
June arrived at the court on Tuesday on crutches, while Theuns was seen with blonde highlights in his dark hair. While the pair are understood to no longer be a couple, they stood side by side, chatting outside the courtroom prior to the proceedings.
During more recent proceedings at the concurrent case at the Germiston Children’s Court, Christina was moved from the organisation looking after her for the majority of her 16-month-long life to live with her paternal grandparents.
Charl Albasini, who represented Christina throughout the case, told The Star he insisted on checking on the grandparents personally before allowing Christina to be kept in their custody.
When he visited their home, he noted they had gone to great lengths and expense to ensure Christina’s safety and comfort.
While The Star understands that Theuns now lives on the same property as his parents, he does not live in the same building, and he is allowed to visit the infant only once a week under complete supervision.
The next court appearance is set for December 8.
* Not their real names
The Star