‘He beat baby Zoey for six hours’

Published Jun 30, 2015

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Cape Town - A man arrested for allegedly beating his two-year-old daughter to death is also accused of having locked the child’s mother in a separate room while he assaulted the toddler for approximately six hours.

This is what the State will argue in the case against Christopher Williams, 32, accused of killing his daughter, Zoey Petersen – three days after her second birthday.

Williams, who had evaded police for a few days, made his first appearance in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

He faces a charge of murder in connection with little Zoey’s death and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm for allegedly beating Zoey’s mother.

On Monday the court heard that on June 18, Williams allegedly had an argument with the child’s mother, Edwina Petersen.

 

Petersen, 20, told police that Williams “closed her mouth, beat her and locked her in a room” in their home in Hanover Park before beating their tiny daughter to death with a broomstick.

In her statement read out in court, she says the beating went on for six hours before Williams brought the child to her.

Edwina says Zoey’s eyes were swollen shut, but gave no details as to whether she was conscious or crying.

On June 19, Williams took her and the toddler to hospital, where Zoey was declared dead on arrival.

Her ribs were broken.

Family and friends in court wept as the chilling details of Zoey’s final hours were described.

A neighbour last week said she heard Zoey cry like “a cat in distress” on the night she died.

Williams, 32, went on the run after dropping off his daughter and Edwina at the Hanover Park Day Hospital.

Police caught him last Thursday, hiding in a shack among 20 other people in Vygieskraal informal settlement in Athlone.

On Monday he appeared weak and had a bruise on his left eye.

He was wearing a blue fleece jacket, and scanned the court room for a familiar face. However, none of his relatives were present.

 

As his charges were read out, he repeatedly shook his head.

The female prosecutor read: “On June 18, 2015, the accused and the mother were having an argument and he beat her [mother]. He closed her mouth and locked her in a room.

“He beat the child with a broomstick for plus-minus six hours. He brought the child back to the mother and the child’s eyes were swollen shut.”

The prosecutor added that Williams was considered a flight risk.

The State will be opposing bail, and Wililams opted to apply for a Legal Aid lawyer.

He is expected back in court on July 21.

At Zoey’s great-grandmother’s home in Hanover Park, relatives told the Daily Voice Petersen had feared the father of her child.

Petersen, an orphan, grew up in a children’s home and began dating Williams four years ago, when she was 16, and he 28.

Her cousin, Daleen Robain, 22, said the young mom, who is four months pregnant with Williams’ second child, often confided in her about how Williams beat her.

“We would have sleepovers and we would dance and play music and then she would sit and stare and I would ask her where is her mind now,” says Daleen.

“She’d say if she goes home now he is going to hit her. I told her let me go with her to the police station, but she feared him.

“She was always worried where she would go with their child, she thought she can’t come here because she used to take from the family to feed his drug addiction.

“If she didn’t get any money for his drugs, he would hit her.”

In December, she noticed Zoey’s foot was swollen and she was limping, and questioned Edwina about it.

“She said she will be taking Zoey to the hospital but I think she was afraid of him.”

But despite their pain, the family say they have forgiven Williams.

Zoey’s great-grandmother, Anne Maarman, 76, says they do not hate him and pray that God will change his life.

Meanwhile, Social Development MEC Albert Fritz has launched an investigation into the social workers who removed and placed Zoey back into her parents’ care on three different occassions.

A church leader, who is also a City of Cape Town official, has also offered to help bury Zoey.

Mark Kleinschmidt contacted the Daily Voice on Monday after reading two-year-old Zoey’s heartbreaking story and how her family is struggling to arrange a funeral for her.

He offered to assist the family with the burial, and will even lead the church service.

 

Zoey’s great uncle, Jonathan Overmeyer, thanked Kleinschmidt for his help and said they would be in touch.

Daily Voice and Cape Argus

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