Cheers as Baby L’s abuser jailed

20/01/2015 Defence lawyer Heinrich Moldenhauer speaks to Baby L's stepfather during sentencing proceedings. The man has been found guilty of abusing the child. Judge Nico Coetzee will hand down sentencing today. Picture: Oupa Mokoena

20/01/2015 Defence lawyer Heinrich Moldenhauer speaks to Baby L's stepfather during sentencing proceedings. The man has been found guilty of abusing the child. Judge Nico Coetzee will hand down sentencing today. Picture: Oupa Mokoena

Published Jan 21, 2015

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Pretoria - Members of the Little Dreams Come True organisation clapped hands in the public gallery of the Pretoria High Court as the man who abused Baby L was led down to the cells to serve his jail term on Tuesday.

The man was slapped with a 10-year jail sentence for abusing his girlfriend’s child.

During sentencing, Judge Nico Coetzee said that because of the abuse, Baby L would never again enjoy life and the man should be punished appropriately. Judge Coetzee said the divorced father of two did not show any remorse for his actions during the trial, adding that the man did not learn his lesson from a previous arrest.

He was arrested in 2008 on two counts of malicious damage to property and assault and sentenced to six months in jail or a R3 000 fine with a suspended sentence.

He was also declared unfit to own a gun.

Judge Coetzee said he did not learn anything and instead was arrested for abusing the little girl in 2013.

The 37-year-old man, who has been in custody during the trial, on Monday asked the court that he be allowed to pay a R100 000 fine instead of serving a jail sentence.

State prosecutor Salome Scheepers asked Coetzee for a 10-year sentence.

The accused said he was a businessman who maintained his two biological children.

Handing down the sentence, Judge Coetzee said: “There is an increase in the number of women and children who are abused. Hardly a day goes by without the media reporting on such cases.

“The interests of the community demand that child abuse is severely punished.” Coetzee said he hoped that during his time in prison, the man would be rehabilitated and once back in society would not abuse another child.

He was acquitted on charges of attempted murder and depriving the child of medical attention. The last time that the child’s mother was at court was on Friday when she was acquitted on all charges.

In finding the man guilty last week, the judge rejected his claims that the child fell down a flight of stairs and off a washing machine.

He instead accepted evidence that the little girl was abused, hit on the head with an object and probably hit on the abdomen with something like a broomstick.

Baby L was in a coma when she was rushed to the Akasia Hospital in December 2013. Some of her injuries included that parts of her brain were dead, she had a fractured hip, a bruised kidney and a serious injury to her pancreas.

The Little Dreams Come True organisation’s Yvonne Penney said even though they applauded the sentence, they regretted it was not tough enough.

She said the organisation was hoping the man would get 20 years. “It is too little when you compare it to Baby L’s life. He is going to be in a nice place with boarding and lodging.”

Baby L is in an institution.

Penney said the organisation would now intensify its fight against child abuse.

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